Shadow's Storm
by SlytherinPunkWriter
Summary: The five Clans have reunited and left the lake, further from Twolegs and closer to wilderness than their ancestors have ever been. With harsher seasons and rougher territory, they've adapted. Now, a kit born in the middle of leaf-bare will live and learn how to make her Clan thrive rather than just survive in their home. *DISCONTINUED, UNDER REWRITES*
1. Chapter 1

In the new territories, perfect for the five Clans to coexist once more, leaf-bare was lasting longer and prey was becoming scarcer. In the ShadowClan camp, a young warrior was sitting guard, waiting for the clouds overhead to break and release a fresh wave of snow. Not wanting to freeze, he stood and stretched, padding around the camp and listening to his Clanmates sleep in their dens. The camp, a hollow against a mountainside, was protected from the wind by bramble bushes and pine trees. Small caves served as dens for the warriors, queens, and apprentices. A stream cut through the edge of the hollow, a hollow log beside it that served as the medicine den. The elders slept in a den woven from a bramble bush and waxy leaves, while the leader's den was a cave above the others, with a ledge jutting a little ways out from the mountainside.

Pausing to stretch, the warrior twitched his ears at the sound of a low moan. Taking a moment, he poked his head into the nursery, peering in.

"Frostfang," one of the queens, Sorrelheart, hissed, "get Ivyleaf. They're coming."

Blinking, he pulled back and vaulted across the camp, barging into the medicine den.

"Ivyleaf!" he called.

"Quiet, Frostfang, we're sleeping!" Wolftail, the medicine cat's apprentice, hissed from his nest.

"Sorrelheart's kitting!" he mewed, tail flicking.

Ivyleaf poked her head out from her nest. "Now? In the middle of the night?"

Frostfang nodded as she shot up, cuffing Wolftail around the ears to wake him up. "Get raspberry and borage and meet me in the nursery," she ordered, whisking out of the den with a stick clamped in her jaws. Frostfang, noticing his friend getting up groggily, went back to the herb store and pulled the leaves she needed. Wolftail nodded when he saw, leading the way to the nursery.

"At least some cat knows how to find herbs in the store," Wolftail muttered, tail flicking nervously.

"Only cause you'd recite to me endlessly during training," Frostfang mumbled around the leaves, spitting them out by Sorrelheart's nest. Wolftail pulled a clump of moss from the cave wall and dunked it in the snow outside, bringing it back for her to lick.

"Thank you, kit" she wheezed, flinching as a contraction made her stomach spasm. Wolftail licked her between the ears, pressing his nose to her temple for a moment.

Flamefur, one of the other queens, nudged her kits to Frostfang. "Can you take them outside and keep them occupied? This is going to be a rough birth."

He nodded. "Sagekit, Foxkit, come guard the camp with me," he mewed cheerily. "We can keep an eye on the forest."

"If someone comes can we fight?" Sagekit asked, bounding in front of him.

"No," he purred, laughing. "But you can wake up the warriors if someone comes and hide in their den."

"No one's getting past us!" Foxkit declared, clawing at an imaginary opponent.

"Shh," Frostfang mewed. "We don't want to wake the camp."

Foxkit clamped his jaws shut, ginger fur fluffing out in the cold. Sagekit purred as he stood at attention, scanning the edge of camp.

In the nursery, Ivyleaf put a paw on Sorrelheart's flank. "This is a large litter," she mewed worriedly. "At the next contraction, push."

Sorrelheart nodded, wincing and bracing herself. Yowling as she pushed, the first kit slipped out, breaking its sac as it hit the nest. Wolftail picked it up and dried it off before putting it against her belly. Flamefur, glancing at Swiftstep, left the nursery with her. Outside, cats were poking their heads out of their dens.

"Are we being attacked?" Leafspring, the deputy, called down.

"Is it those filthy fish-eaters?!" Dustfoot, the oldest elder, yowled.

"What's going on?" Russettail, a senior warrior, yawned.

"Sorrelheart's kitting!" Foxkit yowled to the camp, bouncing in the snow. Sagekit, beside him, added, "We're going to have playmates!"

Grayfur, Sorrelheart's mate, shoved his way out of the warriors den, trailed after by his four older kits, Duskstorm, Dawncloud, Badgerpelt, and Rosefur. The tom darted into the nursery, his other kits milling about outside until Wolftail joined them. By then, Sorrelheart had yowled more and woken up Palestar, who was talking to Leafspring on the Cliffedge.

"Five kits!" he yowled to the Clan. "Three toms and two she-kits!"

"Oh, good, we need kits," Cloverfur, the other elder, purred.

"How will we feed them?" Kitetail asked. "We can barely feed ourselves!"

"We'll figure it out," Palestar said. "We may have to go beyond our borders, but this many kits means the Clan will thrive come new-leaf."

Frostfang, leaving the kits with their mother, went over to Wolftail. "Happy to have more siblings?" he asked, sitting beside Rosefur.

"They're healthy, but this kitting made her weak," Wolftail fretted. "And _five_? We may have to ask Ducktail for borage after Swiftstep kits."

"This is good, though," Dawncloud said. "We've lost too many cats this leaf-bare - rebuilding our numbers is important."

"Assuming we don't lose these ones before new-leaf," Duskstorm pointed out.

"We'll hunt extra to make sure they're fed," Badgerpelt said.

"Has she named them?" Rosefur asked her littermate. As she did, a crack of thunder sounded overhead, making them all jump.

"Thunder in leaf-bare?" Cloverfur asked.

"An omen!" Dustfoot yowled.

"A storm, more likely," Icefoot mewed from her spot beside Snowtail. "Look, it's starting to snow."

"Think it's an omen?" Russettail asked Wolftail, glancing at the flakes drifting down from the sky.

"Looks like weather to me," he mewed, looking at the nursery. Grayfur came out and leapt onto the Cliffedge, murmuring to Palestar and Leafspring.

"Did you name them?" Rosefur yowled. Ivyleaf sat next to her, watching Grayfur.

He fluffed out his chest with pride. "Redkit, Owlkit, Sootkit, Thistlekit, and Stormkit!" he yowled. "Owlkit and Stormkit are she-kits, Redkit, Sootkit, and Thistlekit are toms, and they're all healthy!"

The Clan yowled cheerfully at the news of their new Clanmates. Badgerpelt and his sisters went in to see their new siblings with Russettail and Bluefoot.

"Oh, they're beautiful," Dawncloud purred. The five kits were nestled against Sorrelheart's belly, suckling as their family cooed over them. Redkit, the eldest, was a ginger tabby with white points like Russettail, but his fur was an even darker ginger. Owlkit was brown, cream, and ginger, with paws as white as the snow outside. Her tail tip, ear tips, nose, and chest were white as well, clean and neat. Sootkit was a solid dark gray, his fur sleek and short. Thistlekit was a lighter gray with white points, his fur longer. Stormkit, a little smaller than Sootkit, was the same blue-gray as Grayfur and Bluefoot with Sorrelheart's long fur.

"They're going to be a pawful," Russettail laughed, touching his sister's ear with his nose.

"They're worth it," Sorrelheart breathed, looking at them adoringly. "Oh, they're worth it."

As she fell asleep and her family left, the snow continued to fall.

* * *

ALLEGIANCES:

Leader: Palestar - pale tabby she-cat

Deputy: Leafspring - light brown tabby tom

Medicine Cat: Ivyleaf - fluffy white she-cat

Apprentice, Wolftail - dark gray tom

Warriors:

Shadefrost - elegant black she-cat

Russettail - white-pointed ginger tabby tom

Brightflower - ginger and white she-cat

Bluefoot - blue-gray she-cat

Grayfur - blue-gray tom

Kitetail - black and white tom

Duskstorm - dusty ginger she-cat

Dawncloud - pale ginger she-cat

Badgerpelt - long-furred black and white tom

Cloudpelt - gray and white tom

Brindlestorm - dilute calico she-cat

Rosefur - pale ginger she-cat

Hawkfeather - golden brown tabby tom

Eaglefeather - golden brown tabby tom

Icefoot - white she-cat

Snowtail - white she-cat

Frostfang - white tom

Queens:

Flamefur - bright ginger tabby she-cat (Sagekit - pale gray she-cat, Foxkit - ginger tabby tom)

Sorrelheart - long-furred dilute calico (cream, brown, and white) she-cat (Redkit - white pointed, dark ginger tom with darker tabby stripes, Owlkit - pretty, long-furred brown, ginger, and cream tortoiseshell with white points, Sootkit - dark gray tom, Thistlekit - white pointed dark gray tom, Stormkit - small, long-furred blue gray she-cat)

Swiftstep - black and white she-cat (Firekit - bright ginger tabby she-cat, Blackkit - black tom, Whitekit - white she-cat)

Elders:

Dustfoot - ancient pale brown tom

Cloverfur - golden brown tabby she-cat, has a permanently injured hind leg


	2. Chapter 2

' _It's warm...it smells...milky, and like...ground?'_

Soft paws pummelled her side, startling her out of her thoughts. Lifting her head, she opened her eyes to see what was around her. Her vision filled with brown and cream, the source of the milk scent.

"You opened your eyes!"

Whipping around, she saw a cream, brown, ginger, and white face grinning at her. "We can see the camp now!"

' _Camp? There's more?_ ' She looked around her, pulling herself into a sitting position. They were in a cave, on a nest of soft green stuff with a larger cat and three other kittens with them.

"Mama, we can see the camp now!" the other kit called. "Stormkit opened her eyes!"

The large cat turned to them, eyes alight. "Oh, finally, I was starting to worry!" she purred.

"What's a Mama?" she asked. "And a Stormkit? And a camp?"

The large cat laughed. "I'm your Mama, your mother, Sorrelheart is my name," she purred, tapping her nose to her head. "You're Stormkit, that's your name. Our camp is where we live."

"This place?" she asked, flicking her tail at the cave.

"No, this is the nursery, our den," Sorrelheart said. "The camp holds dens for the whole Clan."

Stormkit tipped her head to the side, ears sticking straight up. "Clan?"

"ShadowClan!" another kit, a ginger tabby with white points, said. "The fiercest Clan of them all!"

"That's Redkit," the first kit said. "I'm Owlkit, your sister. Thistlekit is the one with white on him, and Sootkit is the full gray one," she said, flicking her tail at each cat in turn. "They're your brothers."

' _Sister, brothers, Mama, Clan,'_ she thought, flicking her tail. "Are there more brothers and sisters?" she asked.

"Yes, you have two more brothers and three other sisters," Sorrelheart mewed. "But not every cat is your brother or sister, little one. Only the cats that are my or your father's kits."

"Can I meet them?" she asked, hopping up and bouncing on her toes.

"Of course," Sorrelheart purred. "Follow me, and stay close!"

She led the kits out of the den into the camp. They all blinked at the bright sunlight. Stormkit stumbled and fell, crashing into something cold.

"Aah!" She struggled to free herself, pushing her paws against the cold stuff only to have them sink further in. Sorrelheart picked her up by her scruff and set her down beside Owlkit.

"That's snow," her mother told her. "Frozen water that falls from the sky when it's cold."

Stormkit shook her head, snow clumps flying off her fur. "It's _cold_ ," she said, teeth chattering. "Why's there so much of it?"

"Leaf-bare always brings snow," Sorrelheart said. "This leaf-bare has been especially long, so there's been a lot of it."

Stormkit nodded, walking back over to it and licking it. It melted in her mouth, turning to water.

"Weird," she mewed, going back to Owlkit.

"What's it like?" Owlkit asked.

"Touch it," Stormkit told her. Owlkit poked it with her paw, giggling as she did.

"Cold and wet!" she laughed.

"Kits, this way!"

They bounded through the snow, following Sorrelheart around the camp and meeting various cats. Stormkit didn't know how she would ever remember all their names and faces and scents - there were so _many_ of them. Icefoot and Snowtail were identical, as were Hawkfeather and Eaglefeather. Frostfang was the only white tom, though, and Wolftail and Ivyleaf smelt like herbs, Cloverfur had a mangled leg, and Shadefrost was the only black cat.

Once they were back in the nursery, Sorrelheart pulled her tail around them as they settled down to sleep.

"There's so much," Stormkit murmured.

"So much what, little one?" Sorrelheart asked her, licking her between the ears.

"Everything," she breathed, falling asleep easily.

* * *

Stormkit woke up to a ginger face peering at her. Tensing, she batted at it with her forepaw.

"No need for that," the ginger cat said, rubbing his nose with a paw. "I was just curious. Everyone else had opened their eyes but I didn't see yours. I was waiting for you to wake up."

"Who are you?" she yawned, stretching her legs and tail.

"I'm Foxkit," he introduced himself. "And you're Stormkit."

"I know who I am," she grumbled, standing. Glancing around, she saw that everyone was asleep. "Shouldn't you be asleep right now?"

He waved a paw. "Psh. Night is the best time to look at the camp. Come on, I'll show you." He trotted out of the nursery, paws silent on the floor. Curious, she followed him.

"It's camp in the dark," she said, looking at the dens and the snow.

"No, it's so much more," he said. "Look up."

She did, gasping as she saw the sky. "What are all of those?" she breathed.

"Those are our ancestors," Foxkit said. "StarClan. Each star is a cat, looking over us from the sky. C'mon, follow me."

He led her up to the top of a rock near the mountainside, digging a hollow into the snow for them to sit in. "This'll keep the wind from getting to us," he said, hopping in and settling down. She followed, looking at the sky.

"There are so many of them," she whispered, huddling next to him. There were hundreds, more becoming clear the longer she looked.

"It's the new moon, so more of them are able to come out and watch us," Foxkit mewed. "Aren't they pretty?"

"They're beautiful," she mewed, not noticing him watching her.

He turned back to the sky. "Everyone goes to StarClan when they die. The leaders have 'star' at the end of their name to show that StarClan's approved of them and given them nine lives."

"The leader has nine lives?"

"So they may keep leading after they make a mistake and teach others from it," a new voice cut in. The kits turned to see a pale silver tabby behind them, smiling.

"I don't think I've met you," Stormkit mewed. "I'm Stormkit. This is Foxkit."

The tabby dipped her head. "It's nice to finally meet you, Stormkit. I'm Palestar, leader of ShadowClan."

Stormkit blinked. "You're our leader? You have nine lives and met StarClan?"

"I'm your leader, but my number of lives is kept between me, Leafspring, and Ivyleaf, since I've been leader for a while. I have met them." She moved closer, digging out more snow and looping her long tail around the two kits.

"What are they like?" Foxkit asked.

Palestar was quiet for a moment. "They're mysterious, but also helpful," she said carefully. "They lived in the Clans before passing and continue to watch over them, so they have much knowledge and wisdom to impart on us."

"Impart?" Stormkit asked.

"To give information, knowledge, to," Palestar explained.

"Can I meet them?" Stormkit asked, eyes bright and wide.

"Maybe one day," Palestar said. "But for now, as a kit, you should stay in the nursery at night and wander camp during the day. You never know when an owl will show up."

"What _is_ an owl?" Stormkit asked. "Owlkit's named for them, but I don't know what they are."

"They're birds, large flying creatures, that hunt at night," the leader mewed, leaning down to pick up Stormkit by the scruff. "They like small creatures, like mice and voles, or kits, if they can get them." Foxkit gasped and darted to follow her, sticking close to her flank and glancing at the sky. Palestar set Stormkit down by the entrance to the nursery.

"Go on to your nests, now," she said. "And try to keep quiet."

They nodded, scampering into the den and settling into their nests. Since they were side by side, Stormkit went to the edge of her nest to peer into Foxkit's.

"Foxkit," she hissed. He shuffled to the edge of his nest, taking care not to nudge Sagekit or Flamefur.

"Yeah?" he whispered.

"What's beyond camp?" she asked, ears up.

"I don't know yet," he admitted. "We're not allowed out until we're apprentices. But when I find out, I'll tell you."

"Promise?" she asked.

"Promise."


	3. Chapter 3

Stormkit and Foxkit were fast friends, playing together during the day and whispering endlessly when they were stuck in the den. Redkit and Owlkit usually played with them, games of mossball and hide-and-seek when it was clear enough for them to play in the camp's clearing. When they were stuck in one of the dens - because they were usually visiting the elders or bugging the warriors when storms started - they'd pester whoever was around them for stories and Clan lore.

"Why are you four never in the nursery when these blizzards start?" Cloudpelt grumbled, pulling his son into his nest and grooming him. "What were you doing in here anyway?"

"Looking for Frostfang," Redkit chirped from Badgerpelt's nest. His brother, half asleep, wrapped his tail over Redkit's muzzle and muttered for him to be quiet. Dawncloud pulled him into her nest, letting Badgerpelt roll over and fall asleep.

"Papa, do you have any good stories?" Stormkit asked from her perch atop Duskstorm, her legs dangling over her sister's sides and her muzzle perched on the warrior's temple. The typically grumpy, aloof she-cat didn't appear to mind, sleeping peacefully beneath her youngest sister.

"What kind of story do you want?" he asked, grooming Owlkit.

"How'd Palestar become leader?" Redkit chirped.

"Ooh, no, how'd Leafspring become deputy?" Owlkit mewed. "Wasn't he your apprentice? Who was his apprentice?"

"Who founded ShadowClan?" Stormkit asked.

"Who founded _StarClan_?" Foxkit added. Cloudpelt sighed, giving Grayfur a pained look.

"One story at a time," Grayfur mewed, the kits scampering to sit around him, pressed shoulder to shoulder in half his nest. "Which should I start with?"

"How _did_ Leafspring become deputy?" Stormkit asked. "He and Cloverfur trained with Badgerpelt, they're not very old but she's an elder and he's deputy."

Grayfur settled in, noticing the other kits listening attentively. "Well, that's part of why the Clan is smaller than we used to be. Moons before you were born, when Hawkfeather and Eaglefeather were still apprentices, we were having trouble with RiverClan. They kept pushing against our border, trespassing and stealing prey, until one day, Palestar and her last deputy, Oaktail, organized a patrol to defend the border. The only cats that didn't come were the apprentices, Dustfoot, Cloudpelt, Brindlestorm, Rosefur, and Leafspring. Even Ivyleaf and Wolftail came."

Enraptured, the kits shuffled closer, listening reverently.

"Palestar and Oaktail were sitting on the border, in clear view for RiverClan, while the rest of us were in the shadows, waiting. A patrol came, five RiverClanners, one of them the deputy, Lakeheart. RiverClan started the fight, and a few of came out of the shadows to defend our territory from thieving fish-eaters. Their apprentice ran off to get back-up, and Reedstar brought all his warriors.

"We fought like LionClan and won the battle, but everyone was injured. Cloverfur's leg got to be the way it is today because a RiverClan cat went onto one of the sun-rocks and pushed a chunk onto it. Ivyleaf and Wolftail had to take her and Palestar back here before the battle was over, leaving the rest of us to drive off RiverClan."

"Did Palestar lose a life?" Redkit asked, copper eyes wide. Their eyes had all changed from newborn-blue - Redkit had copper eyes, Sootkit and Thistlekit yellow, Owlkit green, and Stormkit dark blue.

"Unfortunately, she did, and we lost many good warriors that night. Warriors older than Shadefrost and your mother, seasoned warriors, were struck down or driven into the river and passed from hypothermia and frostbite in the days that followed, if their wounds didn't take them first. Oaktail was one of the worst injured. Reedstar had cornered him against a rock and slammed him into it, cracking his ribs."

Owlkit gasped, recoiling.

"When we came back, those nine were the only uninjured cats. Palestar hadn't woken up and Oaktail was unconscious, but the sun was rising and the Clan was vulnerable. Leafspring assessed the situation and took charge, organizing the unhurt cats into patrols and having Icefoot - then Icepaw - watch over Oaktail while they hunted and checked the borders. He kept the able cats occupied, reporting to Ivyleaf and Wolftail whenever he wasn't outside of camp. Oaktail went to StarClan a week after the battle, and Palestar wasn't able to leave her den until a few days later. Once she was awake, Ivyleaf, Sorrelheart, and Shadefrost told her how Leafspring took charge and kept the Clan running. He hadn't had an apprentice, he had only recently been made a warrior, but he proved himself worthy of the responsibility in her absence. He took over the last of Frostfang's training for the next season after that, and has kept his place as deputy since."

"Wow," Redkit breathed.

"Is he going to mentor anyone else?" Foxkit asked.

"Probably not for a while," Grayfur mewed. "He has his paws full helping run the Clan, but maybe in warmer seasons."

"I always have time to help my Clanmates, though maybe not tonight," Leafspring mewed, coming into the den from the storm. He looked at his pelt, crusted with solid snow, and sighed. "Leaf-bare is lasting too long."

"You're singing to the sparrows," Dawncloud yawned, grooming the snow out of his fur when he laid down beside her. Stormkit peered at them, whispering to each other with silly eyes, and asked, "Are you two going to have kits?"

Her elder siblings, woken by Grayfur's story, burst into laughter at her comment as Leafspring and Dawncloud jolted apart from each other, trying to hide their faces from their Clanmates as the storm raged on outside.


	4. Chapter 4

One night, Foxkit and Stormkit were the only two awake, playing a game of pebble-push when they heard crunching outside the den.

"What was that?" Stormkit whispered, creeping to the entrance. Foxkit peered around her, sucking in a breath and pulling her back into the den.

"It's a fox," he whispered. "We need to get it out of camp."

Stormkit, two moons old and smaller than her littermates, peered at her friend. " _We_ can't do anything," she reminded him. "We're kits."

"I'm almost an apprentice," Foxkit argued.

"But you're not yet," she pointed out. "Wait here. My fur blends in with the mountain."

"Stormkit, wait!" he hissed, but she had already slipped out of the den and begun climbing the mountainside. She flattened her ears to her head - it was snowing again, and the wind was making the cold sharper than usual. One of her paws slipped, sending pebbles to the ground. Below her, she heard a bark.

Turning, she saw the fox creeping toward her. Fur bristling, she scrabbled into the empty apprentice den as Foxkit yowled, "Stormkit, watch out!"

Looking at the warriors den, she yowled, "Papa, Badgerpelt, Rosefur! There's a fox! Duskstorm, Dawncloud! Help!"

A white blur shot out of the warriors den, crashing into the fox and knocking it away from the nursery. In a second, Foxkit had joined Stormkit and four more warriors had left their den to drive off the fox.

"Are you okay?" Foxkit asked her. "I heard something fall and then the fox barked."

"I'm fine," she panted. "My paw slipped, is all." They could hear the fight below, but backed further into the den, huddling beside each other. Foxkit flicked his tail back and forth, digging his claws into the floor, while Stormkit crouched low to the ground.

After a while, the barks and yowls died down and were replaced with quiet chatter. The two kits laid down on an old nest, fluffing their fur out to stay warm and falling asleep until they heard Sagekit yowl, "Stormkit and Foxkit are gone!"

"Oh no!" Foxkit yelped, scrambling up and running to the entrance, colliding with a cat.

"They're fine!" Leafspring yowled, nudging Foxkit back into the den. "They're up here!"

Stormkit walked forward shakily, her tail twitching. "Is it gone?"

Leafspring nodded, picking her up by the scruff and leaping to the ground. Foxkit followed, climbing the wall carefully.

"Frostfang was the first to attack it," Badgerpelt mewed, wrapping his thick tail around his sister. "What were you doing, climbing the mountain?"

"We heard the fox and had to do _something_ ," Stormkit mewed. "Foxkit sticks out more, so I was trying to get to the warriors den. It didn't know I was there till my paw slipped."

"Oh, a dreaded paw slip," Dawncloud teased. "More common in leaf-bare than a mouse in greenleaf."

"At least you didn't fall completely," Duskstorm mewed, licking Stormkit between the ears. "Then the fox might have gotten you."

"I'd have fought it," Stormkit insisted. "Foxkit woulda, too!"

"I'da clawed his eyes out!" Foxkit declared, tail sticking straight in the air.

"Of course you would have," Dawncloud purred. "But leave it to the warriors until you get your apprentice name."

Duskstorm, whiskers twitching, nudged the tom to the nursery as Badgerpelt carried Stormkit, setting them in their nests.

"Sleep," she mewed, touching her nose to their temples. "And stay out of trouble."

They murmured their assent, Foxkit waiting for them to leave before curling up against Stormkit.

"I can't wait to be a warrior," he breathed.

"We'll be the best there are," Stormkit told him, resting her head on his paws. He leaned his head against her shoulders, their breaths slowing and evening as they fell asleep.

As the sun rose over the forest, Palestar left her den to sit on the Cliffedge and watch over her Clan, Leafspring filling her in on the events of the night. Nodding, she yowled for the Clan to gather, waking up the cats that had slept through the fox attack. The dawn patrol, about to leave, paused by the entrance as everyone left their dens.

"Last night, a fox got into camp. Thankfully, two of our kits heard it and woke up the warriors that drove it off," Palestar said. "Stormkit, Foxkit, thank you for protecting the Clan."

The kits puffed out their chests proudly, sitting by the nursery entrance.

"Two of our kits have reached six moons, and are ready to be apprenticed," she continued. "Foxkit, Sagekit, step forward."

Their pelts neat, the two littermates went below the Cliffedge and faced the Clan.

"Sagekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sagepaw. Your mentor will be Grayfur, and I hope he will pass down all he knows on to you.

"Grayfur, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You trained Cloudpelt and Leafspring to be fine warriors and have shown yourself to be reliable and loyal. I expect you to pass on all you know to Sagepaw."

Grayfur padded forward and touched his nose to Sagepaw's, leading her to the edge of the crowd.

"Foxkit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Foxpaw. Your mentor will be Russettail, and I hope he will pass down all he knows on to you.

"Russettail, you've trained many fine warriors and have shown yourself to be courageous and loyal. I trust you will pass on all you know to Foxpaw."

The tom trotted forward to touch noses with his apprentice, leading him to the camp entrance as the meeting broke.

"Looks like your friend will be too busy for you," Thistlekit teased Stormkit, "now that he's an apprentice."

Stormkit twitched her tail, glancing at him. "He's going to tell me what's outside the camp," she mewed. "Is Sagepaw going to have time for you?"

He blinked, pulling his ears back and bounding over to Sootkit. Yawning, Stormkit went back into the nursery, curling up in her nest.

"Little kit, why are you sleeping?" Sorrelheart asked, settling down to groom her. "Your littermates are all outside."

"Foxpaw and I were up last night because of the fox," she mewed, purring at the soothing motions of her mother licking her fur. "We didn't get to sleep too long."

Her mother hummed. "An exciting night for a pair of kits," she mewed. "Sleep now, and later you can join the others."

Stormkit purred as her mother curled around her, helping ease her into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

A few days after Foxpaw and Sagepaw were apprenticed, Swiftstep gave birth to her litter - Firekit, Blackkit, and Whitekit, Blackkit being the only tom. Stormkit, Owlkit, and Redkit, wanting to get away from the stuffy, crowded den, found Foxpaw in the elders den, checking Cloverfur for ticks.

Owlkit brought Dustfoot a frog and asked him, "Can you tell us about the leader before Palestar?" she asked, laying down in front of him neatly.

The old tom grunted, settling deeper into his nest and eating the frog quickly. Foxpaw, getting the last tick off of Cloverfur, sat down to hear the story.

"When Palestar was still Palenose," he started, "our leader was Adderstar. He was a strong leader - wise and caring in his Clan, powerful and ruthless in battle. He came into leadership when the Clan was near ruin from mistakes the last leader had made."

"What kind of mistakes?" Stormkit asked.

"Mousestar had taken the Clan into too many battles," Dustfoot sighed. "We didn't have many warriors left, but I was only an apprentice when Mousestar died, so much of his leadership has been forgotten by the living." He paused, looking forlorn. "Adderstar rebuilt the Clan as best he could, but leaf-bare is cruel. Kits didn't survive the coldest months and warriors starved when they gave up their portions to the queens and elders. Adderstar had to make difficult decisions early into his leadership. We went onto the mountain to find food and past our northern border, adapting to survive the harshest cold."

"What's past the northern border?" Redkit mewed, digging his claws into the soft bark that made the floor of the den.

"A Twolegplace," Dustfoot mewed. "There are many types of Twolegplaces, we learned. Ones full of homes, ones full of criss-crossing Thunderpaths, ones with fields and moors between them that were home to farm animals."

"Farms?" Foxkit tilted his head. "What are farms?"

"Farms are places where Twolegs keep animals," Dustfoot explained. "Large, four-legged creatures like deer, but not wild. Cows and horses, they're called. Others keep flightless birds, chickens, and harvest their eggs."

"What else did Adderstar do?" Owlkit urged him back to the story.

"He and Darkpelt explored and gave the Clan hope," Dustfoot mewed softly. "Darkpelt found the passages in the mountains, finding herbs that only grow in the dark and damp and animals that hide in the nooks and crannies of stone. Adderstar gave up three lives his first leaf-bare by refusing to eat before his Clanmates, saying he wouldn't eat when his Clan was hungrier. His mate, Fallowheart, forced him to eat after he lost his third life, telling him that throwing them away wouldn't help his Clan."

Cloverfur, flicking her tail, purred with laughter. "Fallowheart was more stubborn than Adderstar or Darkpelt could dream to be. The three of them pulled the Clan out of ruin with Mothcloud, the medicine cat."

Dustfoot chuckled. "They rebuilt the Clan's strength and confidence, and Fallowheart did so from the nursery! She was nursing Cloverfur's mother while helping Adderstar run the Clan."

"But, Cloverfur, aren't you Badgerpelt's age?" Owlkit asked. "How long was Adderstar leader?"

"Not long enough," Dustfoot sighed. "RiverClan picked up on our strength during the warmer seasons and began to throw their weight around, starting fights with border patrols and stealing prey. Adderstar always made sure to join at least two patrols a day, one to hunt and one to a border, to show that he didn't view himself as above their duties.

"During one skirmish, Darkpelt was terribly injured, dying a week later in the medicine den. Palenose had just finished training her first apprentice and was usually the least-injured in a fight - she's always been agile and light on her feet, so she used that to her advantage and took as many RiverClan border patrols that Darkpelt would let her on."

"Used her skills for the best of the Clan," murmured Sagepaw, who had joined them with a vole for Cloverfur.

"That she did," Dustfoot confirmed. "She knew where she was needed and acted accordingly. Her apprentice, Hollyclaw, was an up-and-comer, too. Swiftstep's and Kitetail's littermate. Adderstar knew Palenose could handle herself after one especially bad fight, before Darkpelt was hurt."

They settled in, leaning forward excitedly.

"Adderstar had decided to post scouts on the border, hiding cats in the trees to ambush the fish-eaters. Darkpelt led the patrol; Palenose and her brother, Mintfoot, Shadefrost and her littermates, Flystorm and Crowheart, Sorrelheart, and Russettail were the youngest warriors there. Older warriors, cats you've never heard of, were there as well - Rainclaw and Mottleclaw, brothers who could fight like one cat in two bodies, Squirrelfang and Tigerpelt, who were only a little older than Palenose, Badgerstep and Larkclaw, Sparrowface, Starlingtail, Swallowfoot, Vinetail, and me.

"RiverClan had more warriors, though. Their numbers hadn't taken a hit during leaf-bare and they were well-fed on fish. The scouts got separated and were fighting one on one with cats twice their weight and strength. Darkpelt was trapped in a fight with RiverClan's deputy, Salmontail, and couldn't aid his Clanmates. Badgerstep and Sparrowface were older and not as fast as they once were, and fell early in the battle. Others were injured grievously - RiverClan didn't fight with honor but vengeance, slicing cats in the eyes and belly. Swallowfoot lost his tail in the battle and Starlingtail lost her ears.

"Palenose knew they wouldn't win, and knew Mintfoot was the fastest cat they had, and turned to tell him to run back to camp to get help. Instead, she saw Reedstar claw his throat out." Dustfoot's eyes were dark, and the kits had their ears back, eyes wide in horror. "She froze mid-battle - later, she said it felt like days, seeing her brother die, but to the rest of us, it was half a moment. She started moving again - she threw herself at the RiverClan warrior Tigerpelt was fighting and told him to run for help, grabbed the RiverClanner by the scruff, and threw him at Reedstar. The warrior ran, but Reedstar stayed and fought Palenose.

"She fought like all of LionClan was channelled through her, fury driving her to fight harder than she ever had. As she did, she howled for us to regroup and fight harder, fight until the second patrol arrived and then fight some more.

"' _This is our land!_ ' she screamed at everyone, somehow making herself heard over the din of the battle. ' _They will not take it from us! Not after they took our Clanmates!'_ Now, we had all been fighting, but we hadn't seen our Clanmates fall. When she said that, we saw them lying prone and helpless - Squirrelfang's pelt was red, not from her fur, but the blood from her stomach. Crowheart was soaked and on the riverbed, looking smaller than he ever had. Badgerstep and Sparrowface were slumped on the ground, occasionally battered by a passing RiverClan foot. And Mintfoot, poor Mintfoot - he and Palenose were identical, but while she was fierce and glowing in the moonlight, his eyes were scared and empty, his fur darkened by the wound from his throat.

"Darkpelt had finally driven Salmontail off and saw Mintfoot as Palenose was howling. I didn't mention this, but he was Shadefrost's father, and loved his kits more than anything. When he saw Crowheart, his heart must have shattered - his only son, gone to StarClan as a young warrior. But he listened to Palenose and let his fury protect his Clanmates. He helped Palenose drive Reedstar into the river, and when Reedstar focused on him, Palenose went into the thick of the battle and took the RiverClanners off-guard. She saw everything, yowling orders at whoever she knocked cats away from until half of RiverClan had disappeared into their own territory and the rest were fighting two of our warriors at once.

"Adderstar and his patrol came before the end of the battle, a fresh wave that RiverClan gave up on holding their own against before running. Only Reedstar stayed behind, telling Adderstar something when he gasped, like something had scared him.

"Palenose was still outraged, and knew that she glowed in moonlight with her pale pelt, so she crept out from behind one of the sun rocks and stared at him. With her shining fur and paws soaked in blood, she looked like a Dark Forest spectre to him for a moment.

"Reedstar didn't like being made a fool of, so he launched himself at her, not done fighting. Before anyone else could move, darted forward and caught him around the middle with her forepaws, scoring his ribs with her claws and throwing him at the rock. He didn't hit it very hard, but it was enough to wind him and scare him. Palenose snarled at him, ' _Get off our territory.'_ He was never the smartest tom, so Reedstar spat at her. ' _Are you threatening a_ leader _?'_ he challenged her.

"Palenose, for all she was usually level-headed, snapped. ' _Get out before I do to you what you did to my_ brother _!'_ she yowled at him, jabbing her tail at Mintfoot's limp body.

"Reedstar saw what he had done to the poor tom and ran back to his territory with his tail between his legs. Palenose watched him go like the rest of us before turning and nodding to Adderstar, like she was giving command back to him. She was limping - somecat had gotten a lucky bite on her foreleg - but she carried Mintfoot back to camp, not letting anyone help her.

"Afterward, Darkpelt told Adderstar how she fought and encouraged everyone. Not even a moon later, he joined StarClan, so Adderstar made her his new deputy."

Dustfoot settled back into his nest, the kits and apprentices still watching him.

"How'd she become leader?" Redkit asked. "That battle couldn't have been too long ago, if Cloverfur's mom wasn't old enough for kits when it happened."

"Briarpelt was Briarpaw then," Dustfoot mewed. "She had Cloverfur and Leafspring when she was in her third newleaf, so it was four leaf-bares ago, I think. We didn't have trouble with RiverClan for a long time after that, and we thrived. But Adderstar was getting older, and an illness came two leaf-bares ago that weakened him greatly. He lost his final life to a greenleaf fever, and Palenose became Palestar. I had retired by then, and the Clan was larger than it is now - this leaf-bare has been especially hard on us, and RiverClan is pulling their same old tricks. Reedstar is old, though, and Lakeheart is much smarter, so we won't have the same problems when she's leader."

"Don't count your mice before they're caught," Cloverfur scolded. "And don't scare the kits with battle stories, they're going to have nightmares!"

Dustfoot scoffed. "They'll be in battles soon enough, and then they'll have _real_ nightmares to think about."

Cloverfur hobbled over and boxed him around the ears. " _You_ can tell Sorrelheart why her kits are having nightmares, then," she growled. Turning to the kits, her gaze turned soft. "You three should go back to the nursery, before Sorrelheart gets worried."

They nodded, getting up shakily. Cloverfur licked them each between the ears and shooed them out into the camp, where they paused and looked at each other.

"I dunno if I liked that story," Redkit mewed, tail twitching.

"I definitely didn't," Stormkit said shakily, quivering.

"What story?" They jumped at the new voice, Stormkit and Owlkit darting behind their brother.

Palestar looked at the kits oddly. "Did Dustfoot tell you a scary story? Honestly, we've told that tom so many times-"

"You had a brother?" Owlkit blurted. Palestar tensed for a moment.

"He told you about a battle with RiverClan," she mewed. They nodded.

"He told us about Adderstar and Darkpelt first," Redkit mewed, "and then how you proved yourself in the battle that took Mintfoot and Crowheart."

Palestar nudged the kits away from the elders den, sitting and laying her tail loosely around them.

"I wouldn't say I proved myself in that battle," she told the kits. "I froze when I saw Mintfoot and let my emotions drive me."

"But didn't that make you fight harder?" Redkit asked.

"In a way, but it also made me more reckless," she replied. "I wasn't thinking - I acted on instinct, and could have hurt my Clanmates if I wasn't careful. I lost my head and went so far as to threaten Reedstar when he was clearly beaten."

"But didn't that just show him that ShadowClan wouldn't budge?" Owlkit chirped.

"Or it showed him that some of us wouldn't stop after our enemy was defeated," Palestar pointed out. "As great as a story may make someone look, it's rarely as it seems. I didn't keep an eye out for Mintfoot and he lost his life. Darkpelt was so focused on Salmontail that his son was killed. We were outnumbered, and instead of retreating for reinforcements, we let our pride dictate our actions and lost our Clanmates because of it."

She touched her tail tip to their foreheads before standing. "You'll learn more as you grow, but you'll fare better if you think before you act, young kits. Now, go on to the nursery. Your mother is looking for you."

She walked away towards a group of warriors and they scampered to the nursery, tumbling into their nest where Sorrelheart was waiting with Thistlekit and Sootkit.

"There you are," Sorrelheart purred. "It's time for your nap."

They didn't argue for once. Stormkit curled up beside Owlkit, letting her sister's soft fur warm her and her scent fill her nose as she fell asleep.

 _Thunder cracked and rain pelted down, sharp drops stinging as they fell. She looked at her patrol, squinting to make sure they were all there. Foxpaw, Owlkit, Redkit, Frostfang, and three cats she didn't know - a cream and brown tabby with white paws and a white chest, a ginger and gray torbie, and a dark ginger and white cat. They were all older, warrior age, and she could tell she was leading the patrol._

" _We need to turn back!" Foxpaw called over the storm._

" _We can make it!" Stormkit told him. "Just stay close and watch your footing!"_

 _She led them to the mountainside, finding a small path and following it. Her claws, long and sharp, glinted whenever lightning flashed, scraping against the rock. The ginger and white cat yelped, slipping on the wet stone and catching themself._

" _This isn't safe!" Foxkit yowled. "We_ have _to turn back! We can try another day!"_

" _We're almost there!" she argued, pointing her muzzle toward a dark crack in the stone. "Just to that cave!"_

" _The storm's too bad!" Frostfang yowled. "We can't make it!"_

" _We have to!" she called back to him. Faintly, far behind her, she heard scrabbling and a yelp, followed by Redkit screaming, "No!"_

 _Turning, she saw Owlkit falling off the mountain, falling, falling, falling to the ground and disappearing in the trees. Despite the rain, she could hear the thud of her sister hitting the forest floor._

" _No!" she screeched._

Someone was yowling, waking her up. Jolting up from the nightmare, she realized that she had been the one yowling.

"Shut up," Sootkit grumbled half-heartedly. Sorrelheart pressed her nose to her daughter's head, licking her ear.

"Little kit, what's wrong?" she asked, pulling her closer.

"Oh, mama, it was terrible!" she cried. "I - we were climbing the mountain and it was raining and we were looking for a cave and Owlkit fell off the mountain! She's -"

"Owlkit's fine, she's right there," her mother soothed, pointing to the little calico. "It was only a nightmare, Stormkit. Palestar wouldn't send a patrol to climb the mountain in the rain."

"Promise?" Stormkit mewled, nuzzling into her mother's fur.

"I promise, my sweet."


	6. Chapter 6

Leaf-bare began to let up and give way to warmer days when Swiftstep's kits were a moon old, the snow that covered the camp slowly melting into patches. The kits, never having seen grass before, were confused at the little green fronds that poked their paw pads and worked their way in between their toes.

"Why is it everywhere?" Thistlekit complained, scrabbling onto one of the rocks around camp. "It's prickly and annoying."

Firekit, two moons old and bolder than a kit should be, chirped at him, "Like you!" from where she was rolling in the grass.

"Hey!" Thistlekit growled, stretching out on the stone.

"Be nice, kits," Cloverfur mewed, stretching out in the grass. "The grass means newleaf is about to come. Feel how it's warmer? The prey is going to be plentiful soon enough."

"And we'll be apprentices!" Sootkit interjected, hopping onto the rock Thistlekit was on.

"Not for two moons," Blackkit pointed out, claiming a slab of stone in a patch of sunlight with Whitekit.

"Who taught the kits to be cheeky?" Thistlekit asked his brother, tail flicking.

"You know who," Sootkit said, flicking his ears toward their sisters. "Hey, wait. Where's Redkit?"

Redkit jumped onto the rock, catching Thistlekit's tail between his teeth. Thistlekit yelped, yanking his tail away.

"There he is," Sootkit mumbled as Thistlekit launched himself at Redkit, both of them tumbling off the rock. Owlkit and Stormkit took Thistlekit's spot, watching the two tom kits roll around.

"It's warm," Owlkit said, lifting a paw off the stone.

"Probably cause it's been in the sun," Sootkit mewed, resting his chin on his paws. Looking at his brothers, he called, "Thistlekit, no claws!"

"I gotta win!" Thistlekit called back, slamming his sheathed hind paws into Redkit's stomach and throwing him off. The ginger kit regained his footing and started to chase his brother, tail streaming behind him.

Owlkit, crouched on the stone, jumped off, yowling, "Ambush!" and knocking Thistlekit off his paws.

"Not fair!" Thistlekit yelped, throwing Owlkit into Redkit.

Sootkit, sitting with Stormkit, asked, "Should one of us even it out?"

"No, Owlkit's not on Redkit's side," Stormkit mewed. "Look, she's wrestling Redkit now."

It was true - the little tortoiseshell was fighting both of her brothers and winning, the toms making a temporary truce to try and beat their sister.

"Kits, play nice!" Badgerpelt called from across camp. They ignored him, tumbling around the center of camp until Thistlekit crashed into Leafspring.

"Sorry!" he mewed, scurrying back to Sootkit. The deputy didn't say anything, just watched with his whiskers twitching.

"Slick," Sootkit commented as Thislekit slumped onto the rock.

"Shut up," he grumbled. "Stormkit, why are you here instead of joining them?" Though they were littermates, they had their groups within the litter and rarely deviated from them.

"Owlkit's about to crash into Kitetail," she mewed. "I'm not getting within a fox-length." Cloverfur, a little ways away, snorted with laughter.

Sure enough, Owlkit knocked into Kitetail, the black and white warrior snapping at the ktis to stop bothering warriors before going into the warriors den. Properly scolded, the two kits crept back to their siblings, ears flat and tails down.

"Learn a lesson?" Sootkit asked as they hopped onto the stone, stretching out where they could.

"Kitetail's a grump," Owlkit muttered. "It was just play."

"Play that knocked him over," Stormkit pointed out, yawning. She put her head on her outstretched forelegs, letting her paws dangle over the side of the rock. "And you taught Firekit to creep up on Blackkit and Whitekit, Redkit." The red tom flicked an ear, grunting.

"Owlkit, I'm never fighting you again," he grumbled. "I'm _sore_."

"Fight to win," was Owlkit's reply, the tortoiseshell perching her head on Stormkit's flank. "I'm gonna be the best fighter in the Clan."

"I'm gonna be the best hunter," Stormkit mewed.

"Leave stuff for the rest of us," Redkit cut in.

"I want to be leader one day," Thistlekit mumbled.

"Not if I'm leader first," Owlkit purred.

"What if _I_ want to be leader?" Stormkit challenged.

"You can be my deputy!" Owlkit said.

"Shouldn't we wait until we're at least apprentices to start planning our futures?" Sootkit asked, rolling onto his side.

"It's fun to think about, though," Owlkit said. "Just imagine what we can do when we're warriors!"

Stormkit tuned out the rest of the conversation, drifting to sleep and slipping into dreams.

* * *

After newleaf started, the sky cleared enough for the first Gathering since Sorrelheart's kitting. The queen was one of the cats chosen to go, her old kits staying in camp with the younger litter. After everyone had fallen asleep, long after the patrol left, Stormkit crept out of the nursery to get a drink from the stream. The warriors left behind were asleep in their den, save for Rosefur, who was on guard.

Stormkit had found that she liked the camp best at night, when it was quiet and the stars were out. When it was covered in snow, she had learned how to walk around without it crunching under her feet like the warriors. Now that it was grass, the fronds barely rustled when she moved through them. Foxpaw had told her that the forest floor was coated in pine needles, easier to stay silent on than either snow or grass.

"Stormkit, you should be asleep," Rosefur scolded her, rasping her tongue over her sister's ear.

"I was thirsty," she mewed, stretching. "Besides, it's too nice a night to be asleep."

Rosefur flicked an ear, replying, "You should get some sleep. You never know what may happen in the morning."

Stormkit looked at her oddly. "You're implying something. An announcement? A ceremony?"

Rosefur didn't give anything away, instead nudging her sister to the nursery. "Go to bed and sleep while you can," she purred, flicking her tail. "The patrol will come back soon enough and fill everyone in when the sun's up."

Stormkit huffed, trotting back to the nursery and curling up between Owlkit and Redkit, letting the others' even, rhythmic breathing lull her to sleep as she wondered what the morning would bring.

* * *

The next morning, the camp was lively and chattering. Stormkit, after noticing her littermates being groomed by their elder sisters, was fairly sure they were being made apprentices.

"You think so?" Owlkit asked, grooming herself slowly. "Who do you think'll be our mentors?"

"I've no idea," Stormkit replied, beginning to groom herself. "But the ceremony will probably follow Palestar filling us in on the Gathering news."

The leader called for the Clan to gather, passing on news of new warriors, apprentices, and kits in the other Clans before straightening and looking proud.

"Now, as many of you know, a litter of kits has reached their sixth moon and are ready to become apprentices. Kits - oh."

The litter had scampered forward, lining up and looking at her eagerly. She purred a laugh, regaining her composure.

"Redkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Redpaw. Your mentor will be Brightflower, and I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you.

"Brightflower, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You trained Rosefur to be fine a warrior and have shown yourself to be courageous and patient. I expect you to pass on all you know to Redpaw."

The ginger and white warrior touched noses with the tabby apprentice, leading him to the edge of the crowd. Stormkit waited as her littermates were apprentices - Owlpaw to Hawkfeather, Sootpaw to Bluefoot, and Thistlepaw to Cloudpelt. Finally, it was her turn.

"Stormkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Stormpaw. Your mentor will be Shadefrost and I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you.

"Shadefrost, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You've trained many fine warriors and have repeatedly proven yourself thoughtful and dedicated. I expect you to pass on all you know to Stormpaw."

The elegant black warrior touched her nose to Stormpaw's as the Clan yowled the new apprentices' names. Stormpaw felt a rush of joy as the meeting broke up - she would finally start training to be a warrior!


	7. Chapter 7

Leading her to the edge of camp, they sat in front of each other, remaining silent for a moment. Stormpaw wasn't entirely sure what to think of the warrior. She knew that she was Sorrelheart's best friend, but she only ever spoke to the senior warriors, Leafspring, and Palestar, not paying kits or apprentices much mind. To Stormpaw's knowledge, she didn't have any kin left in the Clan.

Slightly unnerved by her mentor's unwavering gaze, she asked, "What do we do first?"

Shadefrost stood. "Follow me." Flicking her tail, she darted through the camp entrance in a single fluid motion, Stormpaw scrambling to follow her.

' _What's she doing?!'_ Stormpaw skidded to a stop outside the entrance - she was in the forest, and her mentor was nowhere in sight.

' _Don't panic,'_ she told herself. ' _Just find her.'_ She opened her jaws to smell the air, finding her mentor's scent leading deeper into the forest. Taking a breath, she ran, following the scent trail until she found Shadefrost sitting just past a grove of cherry trees, watching the river. Stormpaw slowed to a stop beside her, panting.

"Not bad," Shadefrost said as Stormpaw gulped down water from the river. "You made a bit of noise following me, but not bad for a first run."

"Was that a test?" Stormpaw panted, sitting down tiredly.

"Of a sort," Shadefrost replied. "I wanted to see if you could track my scent and if you were able to make it to the river in one run."

"I guess I passed," Stormpaw mumbled, catching her breath at last.

"Every morning, we'll run," Shadefrost mewed. "But today, I'm going to show you the borders. Can you guess who we share this border with?"  
"FishClan?" Stormpaw said without thinking. "RiverClan, I mean."

Shadefrost shrugged. "Same thing. They like to trespass here, where the river is too wide for us to get across, and try to catch prey in the cherry grove. Always be careful when you pass through here - RiverClan loves to start fights, and a lone apprentice or warrior are easy targets."

Stormpaw shuddered, hopping to her feet to follow her mentor. She was leading her down the river, away from the mountain.

"Only RiverClan and ShadowClan touch the mountain," Shadefrost explained. "WindClan is the furthest from us - their moor is across the river and past RiverClan's territory. Those woods closest to us," she nodded to where the pine forest gave way to leafy trees, "belong to ThunderClan. Our border with SkyClan is close to our border with Twolegplace, where the oaks and maples are."

Shadefrost led her through the territory, showing her to the edge of the pine forest, where the territory gave way to a meadow.

"We don't often hunt here," Shadefrost said, "but the medicine cats find herbs here that are useful. ThunderClan's border stops with the pines. The trees over there -" she flicked her tail to the forest bordering the field "- mark our border with SkyClan. We don't have much trouble with them - their squirrels and birds stay in the trees, and only their medicine cats come over the border to ask for herbs that don't grow in their territory."

"How big are the other territories?" Stormpaw panted. "Ours is _huge_!"

"SkyClan's wraps around to touch the part of the river nearest the moor," Shadefrost mewed. "ThunderClan's is between us, SkyClan, and RiverClan, but SkyClan's is thinner."

"If they're surrounded by borders on all sides, doesn't that make them vulnerable?" Stormpaw asked.

"It does," Shadefrost mewed, "but ThunderClan has always had a foolish notion of honor, and there are unclaimed stretches between WindClan and RiverClan that they can run to."

Stormpaw twitched her whiskers. "How do the medicine cats get to the Moonstone?"

"On the half-moon, Ducktail will usually go along the border to the river. The other three meet where their territories touch and follow the river."

"If it's in the mountain, how do they find it? Isn't it dark in there?"

"The Moonstone is in a cavern under the waterfall that feeds the river. When the moon is out, it glows from the light," Shadefrost explained. Twitching her ears, she stood and turned toward the ThunderClan border, flicking her tail at Stormpaw to tell her to stay close. A few moments later, a dark brown tabby appeared at the head of a patrol.

"Bramblewhisker," Shadefrost greeted him, walking toward the border. "Scared off enough prey yet?"

"You're as prickly as ever, Shadefrost," Bramblewhisker replied warmly. "You know you only heard us because your ears are the best in the Clans."

Shadefrost flicked an ear, nodding to Stormpaw. "Stormpaw, this is Bramblewhisker, ThunderClan's deputy. Bramblewhisker, Stormpaw. She's a new apprentice, one of Sorrelheart's kits."

Bramblewhisker nodded to Stormpaw. "A pleasure to meet you, Stormpaw."

"And you," she returned. Peering at him, she noticed one of the warriors with him looked a lot like Hawkfeather and Eaglefeather. Bramblewhisker, following her gaze, introduced his patrol; Falconheart, Dovepelt, and Sandpaw.

"Falconheart," Shadefrost mewed, "how are you and Sparrowclaw doing?"

Falconheart purred. "Sparrowclaw is great. She's in the nursery expecting Yarrowfur's kits in the next moon!"

Sandpaw, looking at her mentor, added, "That's not all - Poppyfang had his kits a couple moons ago, Fawnkit and Rosekit, both she-kits."

Shadefrost caught Bramblewhisker's eye. "You must be proud," she said to the tom. "Hawkfeather just got his first apprentice, Owlpaw, and Eaglefeather is doing well."

"He's getting close with Icefoot," Stormpaw mewed. Shadefrost blinked at her. "I saw them sneaking out of camp with their tails together. They were giggling like kits."

Falconheart laughed. Bramblewhisker, whiskers twitching, asked, "How's Cloverfur?"

"Adjusted to the elders den," Shadefrost said. She sighed after a moment. "She should be a warrior still, but she's a favorite with the kits for stories."

"Damn RiverClan," Falconheart spat. Bramblewhisker flicked his ear with his tail, hissing, "Enough."

"Give them our best," he said to Shadefrost.

"We will," she promised, dipping her head. "Watch out for fish-eaters."

The ThunderClan cats dove back into the undergrowth, leaving the mentor and apprentice to go deeper into their territory.

"Cloverfur and Bramblewhisker had kits together," Shadefrost explained. "She let him take two to ThunderClan. The leaders only agreed after they swore not to meet again. Falconheart and Sparrowclaw are the kits he took. She looks like him, you'll probably see her at a Gathering."

"I didn't know Cloverfur was a code-breaker," Stormpaw mewed. "Or that a code-breaker could be deputy."

"He was the best choice, code-breaker or not," her mentor explained, leading her across the field next to the mountain. "The only other choice was Mudfang, and he's short-tempered. Bramblewhisker is compassionate and thoughtful, a better choice for a potential leader."

"I thought leaders usually had more than one deputy?"

"They do," Shadefrost confirmed. "And Lightstar has had many. He was made leader before Adderstar was, and is still alive. When he passes, it'll be a sad day for all the Clans - he's kept ThunderClan peaceful, had his warriors mind themselves instead of others."

She halted - they had reached the SkyClan border. "SkyClan - good at jumping and climbing trees."

"That's a compliment if I've ever heard one," a voice purred, "from Shadefrost, at least."

Shadefrost flicked her tail. "Ducktail, can I help you?"

A ginger and brown tabby padded into view, her tail waving cheerfully. "I was coming out to see how the herbs have fared in leaf-bare," she mewed happily. "What are you doing so far out of the pines?"

Shadefrost gestured to Stormpaw with her tail. "Tour of the territory," she said simply.

Ducktail tilted her head at Stormpaw. "You're one Wolftail's sisters, from the new litter," she said. "You must be Stormpaw, then."

Stormpaw blinked. "Who told you?"

Ducktail purred. "Wolftail. He told all the medicine cats what you and your littermates looked like, and you're definitely not a tortoiseshell."

Flicking her ears, Stormpaw jumped back at the medicine cat padded into their territory, heading for the mountain.

"Where are you going?" Stormpaw called, bounding after her.

"Horsetail grows by the mountain, and not on SkyClan territory," Ducktail explained. "We need more, but I need to see if the herbs we've cultivated have survived leaf-bare."

"We?"

"It was originally Mothcloud - Ivyleaf's mentor - and Emberpelt, my old mentor, who started cultivating herbs near the mountain," Ducktail explained. "Since then, Ivyleaf, Wolftail, and I have done our best to keep them thriving, but the snow and frost can kill plants faster than anything."

Ducktail halted a few tail lengths from the mountainside, flicking her tail toward different plants, explaining their basic function. "Some of these plants _only_ grow on the mountain, like tormentil and lamb's ear, so we have to be careful with them," she said as she nipped a couple stalks of goldenrod away from their plant. She rolled them into a bundle with some horsetail and marigold.

"This is all I'll take for now," she told the ShadowClan cats. "The herbs should grow back, now that newleaf is here. Take care!" Picking up her bundle, she bounded back to SkyClan territory, tail streaming behind her.

Shadefrost sighed after she left. "She's a good cat," she admitted, "but very chatty."

Stormpaw twitched her whiskers, glancing at her mentor. After a moment, she asked, "Can we run back, if we're done?"

The warrior smiled, leading her apprentice back to camp.

* * *

The sun was touching the mountain when Stormpaw and Shadefrost returned to camp. She picked up a squirrel before joining her littermates under the apprentice den.

"Finally!" Owlpaw mewed as she sat down. "We've been back for so long, we thought you were lost. You should've been back first, since you two left before everyone. Where were you?"

"Just across the territory," she yawned, stretching her legs and laying down.

"Owlpaw and I saw SkyClan's border, first," Redpaw mewed. "Where did you go?"

"The river," Stormpaw mewed, biting the squirrel. Swallowing quickly, she continued, "Then Shadefrost showed me the ThunderClan and SkyClan borders."

"Cloudpelt and Bluefoot showed us spots inside the territory first," Sootpaw said, flicking his tail at Thistlepaw sleeping beside him. "We met Lakeheart, Ottertail, Rushpaw, and Streampaw at ThunderClan's border."

"Someone has a crush," Thistlepaw grumbled, batting his brother's tail away. "He was doe-y eyed at Streampaw the whole time Lakeheart and Ottertail were talking to Cloudpelt and Bluefoot."

"I was not!" Sootpaw argued. "You were bickering with Rushpaw the whole time, how would you know?"

"We weren't bickering, we were teasing each other," Thistlepaw grunted. "She was flirting."

"And you flirted back?" Owlpaw asked. "I thought you and Sagepaw were together!"

Thistlepaw lifted his head, staring at her. "Sagepaw is two moons from being a warrior, Owlpaw. _Why_ in StarClan's name would she pick a mate before she was a warrior, let alone one who was just made an apprentice?"

Owlpaw blinked in surprise. Redpaw pointed out, "Foxpaw and Stormpaw are practically mates."

"Foxpaw's my friend," Stormpaw mewed, halfway through her school, "and don't drag me into this."

"Besides, Rushpaw is RiverClan," Thistlepaw mewed. "Flirting or not, nothing will come of it."

"Not necessarily," Owlpaw said. "Look at Hawkfeather and Eaglefeather."

"Being Cloverfur isn't exactly my goal in life," he said. "She's great, but she was hurt in a battle and had to retire early, and isn't allowed to see her mate outside of Gatherings. I'd rather a cat I can be with openly."

"Huh," Redpaw said, looking at his brother. "I guess you _aren't_ a complete idiot sometimes."

Thistlepaw didn't reply, instead swiping a paw at Redpaw and batting his nose.

"Hey!"

"Don't be stupid, then."

Redpaw grunted, looking back at Stormpaw. She had finished her squirrel and was scratching dirt over the skeleton.

"Did you meet anyone?" he asked. "Owlpaw and I met a SkyClan patrol - Mousefoot, Brownflower, and Voletail."

"I met Bramblewhisker and Falconheart," she mewed. "They were patrolling with Dovepelt and Sandpaw on the border. And we met Ducktail. She was checking on herbs."

"Ducktail's funny," Sagepaw said, joining them with Foxpaw.

"She's really cheerful," Stormpaw replied, making room for Foxpaw.

"Did Bramblewhisker have any news?" Foxpaw asked.

"Sparrowclaw's expecting Yarrowfur's kits, and Poppyfang had Falconheart's kits a couple moons ago, Fawnkit and Rosekit," she informed them.

"What?!" The apprentices jumped at Eaglefeather's outburst. "Sparrowclaw is having kits with _Yarrowfur_?!"

Shadefrost, sitting with Palestar and Sorrelheart, rolled her eyes and ignored him. Hawkfeather boxed his brother's ears on his way to sit with Cloverfur.

"Shut up, mouse-brain, you knew she'd have kits eventually," he said.

"But _Yarrowfur_?!" he cried, bouncing on his paws. "All Falconheart would say about him was that he was obnoxious and arrogant!"

"Cats grow, Eaglefeather," Cloverfur reminded him.

"And Sparrowclaw kicked his tail more than a few times," Hawkfeather added. "He probably got his head on straight after they became warriors."

Eaglefeather dropped his tail, sitting down with them. "I guess. But of all the toms."

"Be happy for her," Cloverfur scolded him. He grunted, flopping down next to Hawkfeather.

The apprentices, whiskers twitching, went back to their conversation.

"Sagepaw and I made your nests while you were touring the territory," Foxpaw mewed, standing to jump into the den. "Come see."

The apprentice den had a short, narrow tunnel that opened to a wider cave, with soft sand and dust covering the floor. Foxpaw flicked his tail at the two nests in the middle.

"Those are mine and Sagepaw's, but you can move one of the others to where you want it," he said, settling into his own nest. Stormpaw, after a moment's thought, pushed a nest to be beside his, laying down and purring.

"This is wonderful," she mewed, stretching her toes to flex her claws. Owlpaw took the nest beside her, splaying her limbs.

"We could never stretch out like this in the nursery," she purred. "It was so cramped!"

Redpaw was sniffing around a corner of the den. "There's a tunnel here!" he mewed, looking at Foxpaw.

"It leads deeper into the mountain," the older apprentice replied. "We haven't looked very far, but we've found a tiny spring some way inside."

"Has it always been there?" Sootpaw asked. Foxpaw shook his head.

"Sagepaw and I found it when we were pulling the old nests out," he explained. "There had been a bunch of giant leaves and rocks around the edges, so old that they didn't smell like anyone, and that tunnel was behind one."

"Explore another day," Sagepaw told them, already curled up in her nest. "We have training in the morning."

Sending one last look at the tunnel, they all went to their nests, resolving to search it as soon as they could.

* * *

 _She was hunting in the cherry grove on her own, the waterfall loud and close. Through the trees, she could see cats wandering around the territories. Some were on the other side of the river, play-fighting with each other. Others were climbing the cherry trees. Scratching a few leaves over her prey, she padded out to the river to get a drink, nodding at the few cats that noticed her. She noticed that the river had swelled, reaching past the riverbed. A pair of apprentices were tumbling around, wrestling with each other under the sun-rocks. As she saw them, she felt something was wrong - her heart started beating faster, and she padded toward them as quickly as she could without raising suspicion. As soon as she did, they broke apart, one of them slipping into the river._

" _Somebody help!" the other apprentice yowled, fur bristling as their friend disappeared under the water._

 _She ran to them, but slipped into the river herself, tumbling under the dark waves. Frantically, she flailed her legs, trying to reach the surface - but the current was fast and she couldn't see and her lungs were running out of air until -_

"Stormpaw, wake up!"

She jolted in her nest, accidentally ramming her head into Foxpaw's.

"Are you alright?" he asked, green eyes wide with concern. "You were twitching in your sleep and you started yowling."

"Just - just a bad dream," she mewed, taking deep breaths. "Just a bad dream."

"Well, tell your dreams to stop and let the rest of us sleep," Owlpaw grumbled. "Some of us need rest."

As the others went back to sleep, she put her head on her paws, staring at the cave walls blankly.

For some reason, the dream didn't feel like a dream.


	8. Chapter 8

The apprentices had all but forgotten about exploring the tunnel as their training progressed - their mentors kept them busy, and they were exhausted by the end of every day.

"I'm pretty sure Bluefoot is trying to kill me," Sootpaw moaned one night, stretching out on one of the rocks in camp. "She got me up at _moonhigh_ and we did _night training_."

"Try battle training with Cloudpelt," Thistlepaw grumbled, "where it only stops if you pin him."

"Hawkfeather and Brightflower like to make us fight each other," Redpaw groaned, flicking his tail toward Owlpaw's sleeping form, "and Owlpaw _always wins_. I'm _sore_."

Stormpaw looked at her brothers from where she was grooming herself. "Shadefrost wakes me up at dawn every morning to run across the territory, then we hunt until I've caught however much prey, then we check the borders, then we do battle training. _Every single day_."

They all looked at her. "Yet you're sitting up and grooming," Sootpaw noted, "while we can't move at all."

"Because she's built up endurance," Owlpaw grunted. "And she barely sleeps anyway."

"The nightmares aren't her fault," Foxpaw cut in, dropping a squirrel in front of Stormpaw to share. "And you'll get used to training."

"I'm pretty sure Stormpaw _enjoys_ it, though," Thistlepaw said. Duskstorm, a little ways away, cut in, "She enjoys running rings around the rest of you!"

"I'm still gonna be the best fighter!" Owlpaw declared.

"You can fight all you like," Stormpaw purred. " _I'm_ going to be the best hunter."

"It probably helps that Shadefrost is making you catch five pieces of prey every day, then," Redpaw mewed.

"Whatever makes me a good hunter." Stormpaw turned away from her littermates to Foxpaw, following him to the dogwood by the medicine den. "When are your assessments?"

"Sometime after the Gathering," he said. "Do you know if you're going?"

"No, but Palestar never announces it until the day of." She tucked into the prey, watching the camp. Foxpaw, following her gaze, flicked his tail to the stone under the warriors den.

"Icefoot and Eaglefeather, look," he whispered. Peering closer, she saw that the two were sitting with their heads together, their tails twined.

"Think there'll be more kits?" she whispered back, not looking away.

"StarClan, not until Firekit's close to leaving the nursery," Foxpaw sighed. "Those three are a pawful enough on their own."

Icefoot caught Stormpaw's eye from across camp. Cheekily, she lifted her tail in greeting, snorting when the warrior turned away quickly.

" _Definitely_ more kits," she purred.

"Who's having more kits?" Wolftail asked, leaving the medicine den.

"Probably Eaglefeather and Icefoot," Foxpaw mewed.

Wolftail flicked his tail, whiskers twitching. "A full nursery is a good thing, you know."

"Yeah, but we need more warriors before we have more apprentices," Foxpaw mewed. "And the kits we have are enough trouble."

Wolftail laughed. "Maybe."

Frostfang wandered over, sitting beside Wolftail. "What are we laughing about?"

"Foxpaw thinks the kits we have are trouble enough," Wolftail explained, "and another litter shouldn't come until this one's grown a bit."

Frostfang tilted his head. "Who do you think's going to have kits?" he asked, looking at the apprentices.

Stormpaw flicked her tail to Eaglefeather and Icefoot, who were still under the stone. Frostfang twitched his tail. "Not what I expected."

Wolftail rolled his eyes. "Some cats actually want kits, you know."

"I didn't think Icefoot was one of them, is all. Or Eaglefeather."

"They clearly are. You're just uncomfortable with it because it's your sister."

The apprentices snuck away before the two could start bickering - of all the cats in ShadowClan, they had the weirdest friendship, bickering and arguing whenever they saw each other.

"If one of them could have kits, they would," Foxpaw mumbled to Stormpaw. She blinked and cuffed his ears.

"It's true!" he insisted. "They're closer than hairs on a mouse, always have been."

"Wolftail's a medicine cat," Stormpaw pointed out, leaping into the apprentice den.

"Like that's ever stopped anyone," Foxpaw snorted.

* * *

The day of the full moon, Palestar announced the Gathering patrol after the dawn patrol returned; Shadefrost, Sorrelheart, Brightflower, Kitetail, Duskstorm, Badgerpelt, Hawkfeather, Eaglefeather, Icefoot, Rosefur, Cloverfur, Foxpaw, Owlpaw, and Stormpaw.

"Excited to meet new cats?" Foxpaw asked her. She was pacing, waiting for the sun to set. Her brothers were playing with Grayfur and Dawncloud, well aware that their littermates would fill them in when they came back.

"Yes!" she purred, bouncing on her toes. Owlpaw, beside her, was twitching her tail anxiously.

"Where are the Gatherings held, again?" she asked, eyes darting between Stormpaw and Foxpaw.

"On the island where the river widens, in the middle of the territories," Foxpaw reminded her. "You'll be fine, Owlpaw, don't worry."

The tortoiseshell didn't look any more at ease. Stormpaw bumped her shoulder into Owlpaw's, purring, "Come on, we'll be fine! We get to meet cats from other Clans!"

"But what if I say something I'm not supposed to?" Owlpaw fretted. Foxpaw and Stormpaw stared at her.

"You've _never_ said something you weren't supposed to," Stormpaw mewed.

"Just don't tell anyone that we have passages in the mountains," Foxpaw advised, "and you'll be fine."

Their conversations was cut off by Palestar yowling, "ShadowClan, to me!"

The leader led the Clan out of the camo and to the Gathering Island. The three apprentices trailed at the back of the patrol, Foxpaw trying to convince Owlpaw that she would be fine.

"Palestar!" ThunderClan's patrol came out of their forest, waiting for the ShadowClan cats to reach them.

"Lightstar, always a pleasure," Palestar greeted the cream tom. "I hope all is well with your Clan." The patrols melded together, the warriors walking side by side. Stormpaw saw Bramblewhisker walking beside Cloverfur, their four kits chatting behind them.

"Look at Lightstar's muzzle," Foxpaw whispered to Stormpaw and Owlpaw. "Only Dustfoot has that many white furs!"

Four ThunderClan apprentices came up to them, trotting to try and match their fast pace.

"Are the frogs still hopping?" one, a black tom, asked.

"Are the squirrels still climbing?" Foxpaw retorted dryly. "Honestly, Nightpaw, anyone would think you were a kit with the questions you ask."

Nightpaw recoiled. Foxpaw turned his attention to a gray and white she-cat. "Mosspaw, these are Stormpaw and Owlpaw - they're two of ShadowClan's five new apprentices."

Mosspaw dipped her head to them. "It's nice to meet you," she purred. "Nightpaw is a dolt, and these two -" she flicked her tail to the other two apprentices, one a golden brown she-cat and the other a light brown tabby tom, "- are Honeypaw and Elderpaw."

They two lifted their tails in greeting but didn't say anything, though Elderpaw kept glancing at Owlpaw.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Owlpaw returned. "How long have you been training?"

"Almost six moons," Mosspaw said. "My warrior assessments are in a few days."

Stormpaw caught Foxpaw's eye. He flicked his ears, as smally as he could, at Eaglefeather and Icefoot. The two were talking softly while Hawkfeather listened to Sparrowclaw and Falconheart.

"New kits," she whispered, bumping into him when the patrols stopped.

"Watch the others go across and do what they do," Foxpaw told her, flicking Owlpaw with his tail. "I'll follow you two."

"We're not kits, Foxpaw," Owlpaw said.

"No, but the river still runs fast around the island," Mosspaw said, padding to the stepping stones. "Step where it's dry and you'll be fine. If it's wet, you may slip, and RiverClan isn't here to swim after you."

Stormpaw blinked, gulping as the she-cat hopped across the stones gracefully, the other ThunderClan apprentices following her.

"I'll go first," Owlpaw decided, crouching down and wiggling her haunches before leaping onto the first stone. Hesitating, she jumped from one stone to the next slowly, her fur bristling. Her tail was bushed out and flicking as she reached the last stone - the distance was further than the previous stones.

"Jump as far as you can!" Foxpaw called. "You'll make it."

Flicking her tail at him, she launched herself onto the island. Mosspaw caught her by the scruff, pulling her up before she could fall into the river.

"Your turn," Foxpaw whispered. Stormpaw gulped, tensing.

"Stormpaw, Foxpaw, catch up!" Brightflower called. Stormpaw leapt onto the rocks, claws scraping against it as she scrabbled to regain her balance.

 _Rushing water surrounded her, blocking out the light from the sun. She couldn't regain her footing or get to the surface and she was running out of air-_

"Keep going!" Honeypaw called. "The water won't get to you!"

Shaking her head, she jumped to the next rock, halting on each one to take a breath and a measured thought of how much power she had to put in to make it.

"You're almost there!" Foxpaw yowled, on the stone behind her. "Mosspaw will catch you!"

Bracing herself, she jumped, landing on the island and bowling Mosspaw over. The other apprentice yelped, digging her claws into the ground.

"I guess you didn't need to be caught," she grumbled, shaking herself off once Stormpaw clambered off of her. Foxpaw landed softly, not touching the water as the ThunderClan apprentices swarmed over to Stormpaw.

"It's been moons since anyone's knocked Mosspaw over," Honeypaw mewed. "You must be part SkyClan, with that jump!"

Owlpaw laughed as Stormpaw blinked in surprise. "She and her mentor go running every day," she purred. "Her legs are strong from it."

Foxpaw touched his nose to Stormpaw's ear. "Good job," he purred. "Let's find the other apprentices!"  
They broke off from the ThunderClan apprentices, going into the clearing of the island. Stormpaw and Owlpaw gasped when they saw it - cats of every shape, size, and color were in the clearing, talking and wandering around. She could smell every Clan - RiverClan's fishy smell, ThunderClan's leaf mold, SkyClan's dusty, WindClan's heather.

"This way," Foxpaw said, leading them to a clump of apprentices.

"Hey, Foxpaw!" A gray tabby smelling of RiverClan perked up as they walked over. "Who's with you?"

"I'm Owlpaw," her sister cut in, introducing herself, "and this is my sister, Stormpaw."

"I'm Cinderpaw, and these two are Mistpaw and Pikepaw." She flicked her tail at a light gray she-cat and a dark brown tabby. "How long have you been apprentices?"

"About a moon," Owlpaw mewed. "You?"

"Four moons," Cinderpaw replied. "Are you the only new apprentices?"

Owlpaw shook her head. "Our brothers are back at camp - Redpaw, Sootpaw, and Thistlepaw."

Mistpaw flicked an ear. "We have three more apprentices back at camp - Streampaw, Rushpaw, and Stonepaw. Rushpaw's brother is with Ashpelt and the other medicine cats right now."

Stormpaw leaned over to Foxpaw. "Is this some weird way of asserting dominance?"  
"I think so," he whispered. "But here come the rest of the apprentices."

Mosspaw sat with a couple young warriors while the other ThunderClan apprentices started challenging the RiverClan apprentices to silly contests. SkyClan's three apprentices, Applepaw, Fogpaw, and Squirrelpaw, were friendly to the ShadowClan cats. Applepaw was a golden tabby she-cat and incredibly friendly and bouncy. Robinpaw was a grumpy brown tom, and Squirrelpaw, his ginger and brown tabby sister, enjoyed teasing him. The WindClan apprentices, Kestrelpaw and Fleckpaw, were brothers, both good-natured and eager to chat with Foxpaw.

"Leaf-bare was really rough on us," Kestrelpaw admitted to Stormpaw. "Every Clan suffered, but we're so small now - we have one queen with a litter of kits, and we're the only apprentices."

"The rabbits didn't make it through the frost?" Foxpaw asked.

"Some did, but not enough to sustain the whole Clan," Fleckpaw mewed. "We don't have many warriors left."

"We lost a lot of warriors around the start of leaf-bare," Foxpaw admitted. "But we're growing again."

Fleckpaw flicked an ear. "RiverClan are probably the only ones who made it through okay," he mewed. He blinked when Foxpaw growled lowly, only to be shushed by Stormpaw.

"We've had trouble with RiverClan in the past," she explained simply. "We're hoping they'll stay on their side of the river."

Cinderpaw, overhearing Stormpaw's words, twitched an ear but said nothing. Owlpaw was chatting with Elderpaw and Squirrelpaw, tail curled around her paws.

"And she was the nervous one," Stormpaw murmured, nudging Foxpaw. He twitched his whiskers, straightening when Cherrystar called for the Gathering to start from the large boulder on the edge of the clearing, the Great Rock. The SkyClan leader gestured for Lightstar to go first, as the eldest leader.

"ThunderClan is doing well now that newleaf has come," he announced. "Unfortunately, Mudfang has had to retire to the elders den. A hare scratched his eyes and blinded him, but we are grateful for his many moons of service as a warrior. In better news, we have a new apprentice, Sandpaw, and Sparrowclaw is expecting kits!"

Bramblewhisker, sitting under the Great Rock with the other deputies, straightened proudly. Maplestripe, SkyClan's deputy, whispered something to Lakeheart, making the RiverClan deputy bite her lip to stifle her laughter. Stormpaw saw that the ThunderClan queen was sitting with her mother and brothers, tail flicking happily.

Harestar, following Lightstar, announced, "WindClan suffered much during leaf-bare, but now that newleaf is here, we have a litter of kits born to Briarclaw - Quailkit, Oatkit, and Sedgekit."

Reedstar, tail flicking over the side of the Rock, told them, "We have a new warrior, Graystream, and Mountainpelt has retired to the elders den. Ashpelt has taken on an apprentice, Emberpaw, who has been received and approved by StarClan."

Cherrystar, straightening, wrapped her tail around her paws. "Newtfang has had her kits, Pebblekit and Thrushkit, and Lilyflower is expecting kits."

Palestar was the last to speak. "ShadowClan is thriving now that newleaf is here; we have five new apprentices! Redpaw, Owlpaw, Sootpaw, Thistlepaw, and Stormpaw!"

Stormpaw sat up straight as her name was called, pride burning her pelt as the Gathering cats called her and her littermates' names. Owlpaw, between Elderpaw and Squirrelpaw, was practically glowing.

As the last announcement, once Palestar finished speaking the cats began to talk amongst themselves, the leaders and deputies walking off to find old friends to chat with. Stormpaw padded over to Mosspaw while Foxpaw talked to Kestrelpaw and Fleckpaw.

"Mosspaw?" she mewed softly, getting the grey and white she-cat's attention. She had wandered away from the warriors and was on her own.

"What do you need?" Mosspaw asked, friendly.

"I - I wanted to apologize for knocking you over," Stormpaw said, shuffling her paws. "I know it was an accident, and you probably don't care that much, but I figured I should say sorry."

Mosspaw blinked, quiet for a moment before smiling softly.

"You're a good cat, Stormpaw," she said. "I didn't mind that much, it's happened before, since I catch whoever is jumping after me, but I appreciate it."

Stormpaw sighed, relieved. "Oh, thank StarClan. After you walked away I realized that I hadn't said anything and probably seemed rude."

Mosspaw laughed, her whiskers twitching. "Oh, no, you were fine!" she assured her. "I rushed off because I saw my friends, I didn't mean to ditch the apprentices." She flicked her tail for Stormpaw to follow her. "Since I'm so close to being a warrior, most of my friends in the other Clans already have their names. Here, I'll introduce you."

Stormpaw followed her, suddenly aware that she was a head shorter than the ThunderClan cat. They halted by a group of six cats.

"Mosspaw, who did you pick up?" a SkyClan cat asked.

"This is Stormpaw," Mosspaw said, sitting down and wrapping her tail around her paws. "She's one of ShadowClan's new apprentices - she found me because she knocked me over when I tried to catch her and wanted to say sorry."

"Oh, how sweet!" A WindClan warrior purred. "I'm Minkheart, and this is my brother, Stoatstripe. You've probably met Kestrelpaw and Fleckpaw - we're their mentors. It was so surprising, since we've only been warriors a few moons, but Harestar thought it was a good idea, and she knows best, I guess."

"She's Fleckpaw's mentor," a dark ginger SkyClan warrior explained, "because if anyone can pull a cat out of their shell, it's Minkheart. I'm Tawnyfang, this tom is my brother Wrenfoot, and he's Graystream, the new RiverClan warrior." She flicked her tail at the brown tabby sitting beside her, then the grey and black tabby beside Minkheart.

"This is Morningcloud," Mosspaw introduced the ginger and white ThunderClan warrior beside her. "He was made a warrior three moons ago."

"It's nice to meet you," Stormpaw mewed, dipping her head.

"You're Shadefrost's new apprentice, aren't you?" Graystream asked. "I've seen you running with her around the border."

Stormpaw nodded. "My sister is Hawkfeather's apprentice, she's over with Squirrelpaw and Elderpaw." She flicked her tail to the three cats, who were still talking animatedly, their tails waving and ears swiveling as they spoke.

"Squirrelpaw and Robinpaw are Ducktail's siblings from a younger litter," Tawnyfang mewed. "Squirrelpaw and Ducktail are like clones of each other, I swear."

"What, always talking, cheerful, and bubbly?" Wrenfoot asked. "Robinpaw is grumpy like Plumwhisker. His sisters took after Leopardstep, thankfully."

Tawnyfang flicked his ear with her tail. "Be respectful, Plumwhisker is a good warrior."

"I never said he wasn't," Wrenfoot retorted, "I just said he and Robinpaw are grumpy."

"Who are your siblings' mentors?" Minkheart asked. "Is Owlpaw your only sister?"

"Owlpaw's my only sister in this litter," Stormpaw confirmed. "Russettail is Redpaw's mentor, Bluefoot is Sootpaw's, and Cloudpelt is Thistlepaw's."

"Sorrelheart and Grayfur have other kits, don't they?" Graystream asked. "I can never keep other Clans straight."

"Dawncloud, Duskstorm, and Badgerpelt were their first litter, and Rosefur and Wolftail were their second," Stormpaw explained. "So they have ten kits."

"Great StarClan, they were busy," Mosspaw muttered. Stormpaw looked at her oddly as the others laughed. She explained, "You'll get it when you're older, don't worry. Hasn't Shadefrost mentored half your Clan?"

Stormpaw thought for a moment, remembering what her mentor had told her. "Her first apprentice was Swiftstep, then it was Blacktail, then Brightflower, then Badgerpelt, and her last was Hawkfeather, I think."

"StarClan, you're her sixth apprentice?" Stoatstripe gasped. "How long has she been a warrior?"

"She trained with Palestar," Stormpaw replied, "and Sorrelheart. She's a good mentor - she makes me work hard and pushes my limits, but never enough for me to get hurt."

"I've seen your littermates training with each other," Morningcloud mewed, speaking for the first time. "But you and Shadefrost are always alone."

"Shadefrost is able to focus better on me and helping me improve when we're alone," Stormpaw mewed. "We've done some training with the others, though it's usually Sagepaw, since Grayfur's teaching is most similar to hers."

"Wouldn't Brightflower and Hawkfeather teach like her, since they were her apprentices?" Mosspaw asked.

"They do, but they've modified it some to be specific for Redpaw and Owlpaw," she explained. "Hawkfeather focuses more on fighting, since Owlpaw wants to be the best fighter she can, and Brightflower has to keep a close eye on Redpaw, since he likes to be clever."

"Is he the sort to prank the rest of you?" Wrenfoot asked.

Stormpaw paused for a moment. "Sometimes," she said. "He's goofy and likes to play around, and Owlpaw's the best at balancing him out. Thistlepaw is more driven and serious, and Sootpaw is laid-back and inclined to follow, so they get along better with each other than with Redpaw. Redpaw will get Sootpaw into trouble or pick fights with Thistlepaw, but Owlpaw will challenge him and keep him from going too far, so the mentors try not to mix them up too much."

"That must have been fun in the nursery," Mosspaw laughed.

"Oh, it was!" Stormpaw purred. "Redpaw would start a fight with Thistlepaw and get so into it that neither of them would notice Owlpaw joining in to fight them both at once. Those were the only times Redpaw and Thistlepaw would call a truce without trouble, to try and beat Owlpaw."

"Redpaw didn't try to fight Sootpaw?" Graystream asked, whiskers twitching.

"He did once, when we were maybe two moons old," she mewed, stifling her laughter. "Sootpaw was napping and Redpaw bit his tail, so Sootpaw clawed his nose and snarled at him. Wolftail and Ivyleaf didn't even bother scolding Sootpaw - Redpaw had pulled the same move on half the Clan, it was a miracle he hadn't been clawed earlier."

"Are you not close to your littermates?" Tawnyfang asked.

"I'm close to them, but I spend more time with Foxpaw and Shadefrost," Stormpaw mewed. "But we usually eat dinner together, or I'll be on a patrol with one of them."

"How busy are you during the day?" Morningcloud asked, tail flicking. "Do you ever rest? I've seen you on a moonhigh patrol and then heard from Falconheart that he saw you and Shadefrost on the dawn patrol."

Stormpaw shrugged. "Shadefrost likes to wake up early, so I wake up early, too. We're not always on the dawn patrol, but we're usually up at dawn to run around the territory. Then we check the borders and tag along with a patrol, then we hunt and drop our prey off at camp, then we do battle training, then we usually go back to camp or join a border patrol."

The other cats blinked at her, lost for words.

" _Every day_?" Tawnyfang asked. "How are you not collapsing?!"

"I did at first, but I've built up endurance." Stormpaw shuffled her paws, kneading the ground. "It's been nearly a moon, so I've gotten used to it."

"But doing a moonhigh patrol and then a dawn patrol?" Mosspaw asked. "Did you get any sleep?"

"If we do a moonhigh patrol, it means we're taking the day off," Stormpaw mewed, not telling them that they did night training those nights. "It's usually once a week, so I sleep during the day and work around camp. Taking care of the elders, helping the medicine cats, entertaining the kits, the like."

"Well, if you work that hard every day, it's no wonder Shadefrost is still one of the top warriors in the Clans," Stoatstripe said. "Her other apprentices are no joke, either."

"Blacktail was funny, I met him at Gatherings and border patrols a few times," Minkheart purred. "It's a shame so many cats were lost this leaf-bare."

"Leaf-bare lasted a lot longer than it should have," Graystream pointed out. "Even RiverClan lost cats, despite the other Clans thinking we didn't."

"But you were so well-fed," Wrenfoot mewed, blinking.

"We had a bout of winter-coughs go through the camp," Graystream mewed. "We lost three apprentices, six warriors, two elders, a litter of kits, and Reedstar fell ill. We're lucky Emberpaw wants to be a medicine cat, because Ashpelt was running ragged barely halfway through leaf-bare."

"It's always sad to lose Clanmates, especially kits and apprentices," Minkheart mewed softly, touching his shoulder with her tail. "I'm sorry."

Graystream touched his nose to her ear. "Thank you. Lakeheart, since Reedstar was sick, gave the apprentices their warrior names before they went to StarClan. Smokeflower, Daisyheart, and Birchfoot."

"Smokeflower was his sister," Mosspaw whispered softly to Stormpaw. "It really hurt him, having her not make it to their ceremony. He misses her a lot."

"I would, too," Stormpaw murmured. "I may be closest to Foxpaw, but I'd hate to lose a sibling."

"Who were the others?" Stoatstripe asked softly.

"Marigoldheart, Liontail, Stormpelt, Icefur, Mousepelt, and Blackstream," Graystream replied. "The elders were Stonefur and Misttail, and the kits were Icefur's - Mintkit, Frostkit, and Whitekit."

"We lost so much of our Clan, we're not even half the size we were," Minkheart sighed. "Kestrelpaw and Fleckpaw's parents, Ivycloud and Lightningpelt, Fallowtail, Spottedfur, Martenpelt, Jaystorm, Elmheart, Eeltail, Larchpelt, Linnetfur. Fennelleaf's apprentice, Batpaw, didn't make it, or Finchflower's litter, Crowkit, Beetlekit, Ravenkit, and Spiderkit."

Tawnyfang looked down, tail flicking. "We lost too many cats - Ebonyclaw, Willowstorm, Ambertail, Yellowtail, Copperfang, Sootflower, Petalshade, Flamewhisker, Volestep, Shrewpaw, Dustpaw and Leafkit."

Mosspaw shared a look with Morningcloud. "We lost our eldest warriors and elders," the tom mewed, "and Fogfang's kits. Cats that were around when Lightstar was deputy."

Stormpaw looked at her paws. "I don't know who we lost," she confessed. "I was born in the middle of leaf-bare, and we didn't lose anyone after our kitting. Dustfoot and Cloverfur told us stories, though, about the cats we've lost since Mousestar died and Adderstar became leader."

"Adderstar wasn't leader long enough," Tawnyfang mewed. "He was only leader for two season cycles - everyone knew about the problems ShadowClan and RiverClan had." She glanced between Graystream and Stormpaw, who were looking at her oddly. "I was apprenticed while Adderstar was leader and Palestar was his deputy, remember. There were whispers that an all-out war would break if the skirmishes didn't stop."

Graystream sighed. "It's true," he said. "Reedstar wouldn't let up, and we nearly ruined ShadowClan." He caught Stormpaw's eye, noting the apprentice blinking in shock.

"Reedstar has been leader for a long time," he explained. "We all respect and love him, but the grudge he has against ShadowClan is so old that none of us really understand it anymore. Lakeheart does her best to discourage him, but disobeying orders from a leader isn't a great idea, no matter how much we disagree with them."

"I'm surprised he made it through leaf-bare," Minkheart admitted. "And Harestar. Everyone knows that she and Lightstar are the oldest leaders and don't have as many lives left. Soon enough, it'll be Duststorm and Bramblewhisker on the Great Rock."

Wrenfoot flicked her muzzle with his tail. "Let's just be glad that Lightstar has kept his Clan under control," he mewed. "It used to be that ThunderClan would play the hero, butting into everyone's business."

Mosspaw purred with laughter. "Blizzardheart likes to tell the kits and apprentices the stories of Firestar and Bramblestar. They all get the idea that we should help the other Clans until Bramblewhisker or one of the queens has to tell them the consequences of meddling - everyone's tried to ask Blizzardheart to stop, but he insists that remembering Clan history is vital to the survival of the Clan."

"Well, he isn't _wrong_ ," Tawnyfang mewed, "but the glorification of ThunderClan's old leaders is a bit exhausting to the rest of us."

Stormpaw twitched her whiskers. "Dustfoot gets in trouble with Cloverfur, Palestar, and the queens for telling scary stories. He always argues that we'll be in battles eventually, and Cloverfur tells him that he can be the one to explain to the queens why everyone is having nightmares."

"Oh, battle stories," Graystream groaned. "Stonefur would tell us stories about Mousestar and Boulderstar - the RiverClan/ShadowClan rivalry started with them - and always painted ShadowClan to be terrifying spectres, like they were all borne of the Dark Forest."

"We are not!" Stormpaw argued, pelt bristling for a moment. "We're just more interested in the pine forest than diving into water."

"That's what Misttail would tell us," Graystream laughed. "She was half ThunderClan and would remind everyone that the other Clans weren't that different from us. She told better stories, of the older leaders, because she was even older than him - Stonefur was Reedstar's brother, but she was Boulderstar's sister from a younger litter, and could remember stories about Swanstar before him, and all the other Clans' leaders - Mousestar, Birchstar, Falconstar, and Badgerstar. ShadowClan's had more leaders than the others. I guess you're more inclined to lose a life in a fight than the rest of us."

Stormpaw opened her mouth to retort when she saw his whiskers twitching - he was teasing her. "Well, we _do_ have more trouble with certain fish-eaters than the other Clans," she mewed thoughtfully after a moment. Graystream blinked in shock, pulling his ears back.

"Oh, Graystream, did you forget that all ShadowClan cats have fangs?" Wrenfoot crowed, cackling. "I thought you learned after trying to pick a fight with Sagepaw!"

"Oh, you didn't!" Stormpaw cried. "Nobody tries to fight Sagepaw, not after she knocked Foxpaw's ego down!"

"He tried to convince her and Foxpaw that he could beat either of them in a fight," Mosspaw crowed. "So Sagepaw got Maplestripe to referee and beat him before you could say mouse! She had him pinned and he couldn't move, StarClan knows how she knew what parts to put weight on to make a cat immobile!"

"Oh, I remember that!" Tawnyfang laughed, bushy tail waving. "She had a paw between his shoulders, one on his neck, one right above his tail, and the last one on his muzzle! She had darted under him and twisted around to confuse him, then leapt onto his back! Maplestripe couldn't believe how fast she was!"

Stormpaw purred, tail flicking. "She's not as strong as Foxpaw, but she's faster and quieter. She can run rings around the rest of us." She let her pride seep into her voice - she and Sagepaw weren't great friends, but she would let herself be proud of her Clanmates and praise them if she could, especially where other Clans could hear how strong they were.

"I'll keep that in mind if we're ever at odds with ShadowClan," Wrenfoot chuckled. "If an apprentice training for three moons can knock one almost a warrior off his feet, I don't want to be on the wrong side of her claws."

"Everyone should be careful before fighting ShadowClan," Stormpaw purred. "We're the fiercest Clan in the forest!"

"Well, if you're the fiercest, then SkyClan is clearly the bounciest," Morningcloud chortled.

"WindClan is the most religious," Tawnyfang purred.

"ThunderClan is the most obsessed with honor," Graystream laughed.

"And RiverClan are the fluffiest!" Minkheart crowed.

"The rest of us give compliments and you declare us the fluffiest?!" Graystream cried.

"You are fluffy! Your fur sheds water like duck feathers!" she laughed. "Okay, okay, you're the most laid-back."

"I can't argue with bounciest," Wrenfoot mewed. "Especially considering Squirrelpaw and Ducktail!"  
"ShadowClan is the most mysterious," Mosspaw amended, "with their night patrols and silent walking. I was nearly scared out of my fur when Stormpaw came up to me, she was so quiet!"

Stormpaw waved her tail, ears flattening slightly. "Oh no, I didn't mean to scare you!" she mewed. "I didn't even notice I wasn't making noise!"

"I've never heard a ShadowClan cat purposely make noise," Graystream commented. "Your patrols always appear out of shadows with no noise to announce them - I was fishing and turned around to put my fish behind me, turned back, and there were four cats right across from me! I nearly leapt out of my fur!"

"Your patrols always find ours before we can even smell you," Morningcloud noted. "I can be certain that I'm not making noise but then a ShadowClan cat will find me, even if I'm fox-lengths within the border!"

"We can hear everything," Stoatstripe mewed flicking his tail to indicate himself and Minkheart. "The only sound on the moor is wind, so we learn how to hear the slightest sounds to find prey or intruders."

"The forest is coated in pine needles," Stormpaw mewed, "so it's soft, and we can hear the slightest rustle. You're -" she flicked her tail at Mosspaw and Morningcloud "- surrounded by undergrowth and fallen leaves and twigs to tread on."

"We go from branch to branch," Tawnyfang mewed, "and don't touch the ground."

"You make the leaves rustle, though," Mosspaw pointed out.

"Not in leaf-bare," Wrenfoot said. "The branches will creak sometimes, but not all the time."

"RiverClan territory is covered in reeds and marsh," Graystream mewed. "If the ground isn't solid, it makes a squelching sound that all the apprentices and kits find hilarious, even though it scares off land-prey."

"It's a good thing you stick mainly to fish, then," Minkheart purred.

"They may just find the word 'squelch' hilarious," Stormpaw snorted. "I've never heard it before."

"It's the only way to describe it," Graystream sighed forlornly. "The sound when mud sticks to your paw and pulls up with it, pushing out air bubbles from its sides in a sound that no cat can mimic." He lifted a paw to his head dramatically. "It's followed by the groans of warriors and the giggles of apprentices, scaring off prey left and right and leaving us to find a new place to hunt!"

An older warrior, a little ways away, gave the group an exasperated look for a moment before turning back to their conversation. While Gatherings used to be short - a sharing of information from the leaders - they had since turned into nearly night-long events, cats telling stories and sharing little tidbits as the leaders spoke to elders and each other, deputies found old friends, and medicine cats spoke conspiratorially under the cherry tree by the Great Rock. Apprentices and young warriors were always the loudest, laughing and speaking more than senior warriors thought they should, while elder warriors and queens broke into small groups to talk about the goings-on and gossip of the Clans and the elders gathered near the Great Rock to lament their aching bones and complain about young cats.

"Stormpaw, you must know what horror marshes are, being in ShadowClan," Graystream said, looking to her for sympathy.

"We don't actually have marshes on our territory, despite what everyone thinks," she mewed. She turned to glance at Owlpaw and Foxpaw, who were laughing with Elderpaw, Squirrelpaw, Kestrelpaw, and Fleckpaw, before turning back to the warriors and continuing, "It's mostly pine trees. We have the cherry grove by the river, and a dogwood grove near our camp that's good for training, and the field past the pine forest, but no marshes."

"Isn't your ground mostly dirt, though, since you don't have leaf-litter and moss to cover it?" Mosspaw asked.

"We have moss," she replied, confused. "And the dirt absorbs most of the water, so it's only muddy for a while. We don't have a lot of leaf-litter outside the groves, but the pine needles, pinecones, and moss tend to help."

"You're also on an incline," Wrenfoot pointed out. "It's only slight, but the territories slope up from the river, like a really shallow valley. Rainwater and snowmelt usually trickles down to the river if it isn't taken into the ground."

"The moor gets terribly muddy, I've seen," Tawnyfang mewed, looking at Stoatstripe and Minkheart. Stoatstripe groaned.

"It gets _so_ muddy!" he cried. "The grass is so short that it doesn't hold down the mud, so the entire moor gets covered in it and everyone is just slipping around the entire time. Kits and apprentices will play on mudslides, but the rest of us have work to do! We can't expect to hunt if we can't keep our footing!"

"Our only problem with rain is having Twoleg trash from the Thunderpath get washed down," Tawnyfang mewed. "Even though we don't know what's poisonous or dangerous, the kits try to play with everything. The queens always have their paws full, trying to keep track of them."

"I hate the rain," Graystream muttered. "It's cold and isn't a single wave, like the river or streams - it's continuous and keeps coming, drop after drop. It may slide off our pelts, but that doesn't mean we don't feel it!"

Stormpaw twitched her whiskers, laughing quietly. "Can't you just hide in your dens, or in the streams when it rains?"

"Oh, we hide in our dens," Graystream told her, "but never go in a river or stream when it's raining - the current gets stronger, and there's always a risk of flood, so you're more likely to drown in a storm than any other time."

 _Rushing water surrounded her, blocking out the light from the sun. She couldn't regain her footing or get to the surface and she was running out of air-_

"You okay?" Mosspaw startled her out of her thoughts, touching her tail to her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she mewed, shaking her head. She admitted, "I keep having weird nightmares about falling in the river and drowning, though, so it kind of freaks me out."

Tawnyfang flicked an ear. "It could be StarClan trying to warn you, if it's recurring," the ginger warrior mewed, "or it could be your mind telling you to deal with a fear."

"How would I deal with that?" Stormpaw asked, tail twitching. "I don't have any real desire to jump into the river and go for a swim, or do anything more than pad in a stream if it's too hot."

"Did you ever almost drown as a kit?" Graystream asked. "Every RiverClan kit falls into water at some point and has nightmares about it until they learn to swim."

Stormpaw shook her head. "I know I crashed face-first into a snowdrift my first time out of the nursery, but I've never fallen in a stream or been underwater."

"Maybe it was a past life," Morningcloud mewed. Mosspaw groaned

"Don't get started, please," she pleaded.

"Past life?" Stormpaw asked, much to her new friend's chagrin.

"It's an old belief, and he's the _only_ cat that actually considers it," Mosspaw grumbled.

"It's not that old," Morningcloud replied. To Stormpaw, he explained, "There's an idea that if a cat has been in StarClan long enough that no one remembers them, they either fade out of existence or are reincarnated as a kitten in the Clans. Not many cats really believe it; StarClan is huge, and long-forgotten cats still walk in the dreams of leaders and medicine cats, but those are usually cats who were of relative importance, more so than a typical warrior - deputies, leaders, and medicine cats. The cats that led ordinary lives could be more easily forgotten, and some believe that they just fade from existence eventually, but others think they might get another go at life, since they've been dead so long."

Stormpaw blinked. "I never knew that," she mewed. "But how would they fade, if every Clan cat ends up in StarClan? Wouldn't cats who knew them when they were alive find them once they died?"

Morningcloud shrugged. "Possibly. No one's forgotten the original leaders, so they've never faded, but the Clans have existed for a long time, and we don't know how StarClan really works until we join them."

"I think you just find comfort in the idea that you have another chance at life," Mosspaw mewed, tail flicking, "while the rest of us think this is our only shot and, as such, we should do the most while we can instead of waiting for a new life."

"For all I _know_ ," Morningcloud argued, "this _is_ my only chance. For all I _believe_ , we all can come back eventually and experience life again."

Morningcloud held Mosspaw's gaze, tail tip flicking back and forth. Mosspaw humphed and turned back to Stormpaw.

"Medicine cats are the ones to ask about StarClan and dreams, anyway," she said. "But sometimes a dream is just a dream, nothing more, nothing less. Reading into everything means you'll never get a chance to rest."

"It's hard to rest when you wake up every night from nightmares," Stormpaw said without thinking.

Mosspaw nodded. "Which is why, if they continue night after night and you can't sleep because of them, you should talk to a medicine cat. They're more qualified to interpret a dream than a typical warrior or apprentice."

"I guess so," Stormpaw sighed. "But they're busy enough trying to refill their stores and helping Palestar and Leafspring run the Clan."

"You're part of the Clan," Graystream reminded her. "They'd rather help you then find out you were keeping a problem from them, however small it may seem."

Stormpaw flicked an ear, thinking for a moment. Behind her, she heard Owlpaw yowl, "Stormpaw, come here!"

"That's Owlpaw," she told the warriors, grateful for the awkward conversation being stopped. "I'd best see what she wants. It was really nice to meet all of you."  
"You, too," Minkheart purred.

"Find us at future Gatherings," Tawnyfang mewed. "You can tell us all about ShadowClan!"

Stormpaw purred, tail curling. "I will. Bye!" She darted toward the other apprentices, weaving around clumps of cats until she reached Owlpaw.

"You almost missed it!" Owlpaw bounced on her toes. "Fleckpaw and Kestrelpaw are going to race, and I told them you were the fastest apprentice we had, so they want you to join!"

The two WindClan apprentices nodded, tails waving.

"Sure," she purred, padding to where they were standing. "Who's the referee?"

"Squirrelpaw, over there," Elderpaw mewed, flicking his tail to where the SkyClan apprentice was waiting, between the Great Rock and the cherry tree. The path was clear, though warriors were watching the apprentices wearily.

Elderpaw lined them up, waiting for Squirrelpaw to nod. "On your mark...ready...go!"

The three apprentices ran, their tails streaming behind them. Kestrelpaw was almost bounding, taking long strides, while the other two were running on their toes, barely touching the ground. Stormpaw stayed neck and neck with Fleckpaw, Kestrelpaw slowly falling tail-lengths behind them. Getting closer to Squirrelpaw, Stormpaw used the heels of her back paws to get more power, beating the WindClan apprentice by a fox-length.

"Stormpaw wins!" Squirrelpaw yowled.

"Great - StarClan - you're - fast," Fleckpaw panted, plopping down and catching his breath.

"You are, too," she purred, trying to catch her breath. "I only beat you because I stopped running on my hind toes. If you use your heels on your hind paws, you get more power."

"I'll remember that," Fleckpaw laughed, "so next time we race, I'll beat you."

"In your dreams," Owlpaw purred, joining them with Foxpaw and Elderpaw. "Stormpaw runs every morning across the entire territory, and we have trees to go around instead of open air."

"I'm going to ask Minkheart to take me running more," Fleckpaw told her, "and make obstacles. One day, I'm going to win the race!"

"I'll stick to refereeing," Squirrelpaw mewed. "You two nearly ran into me!"

"They were too focused on winning to look at what was in front of them," Elderpaw told her. "You'd best jump out of the way next time!"

"Believe me, I will!"

Stormpaw, whiskers twitching, caught Wolftail's eye and padded over, tail high above her back. Owlpaw followed her.

"Stormpaw, Owlpaw, these are the medicine cats," he mewed, flicking his tail to each cat in turn. "You've already met Ducktail, but this is Lionheart, Fennelleaf, Ashpelt, and Emberpaw, her apprentice."

They dipped their heads to the medicine cats. Lionheart was a pale ginger she-cat, Fennelleaf was a brown tabby tom, Ashpelt was a gray she-cat, and Emberpaw was a black tom.

"Stormpaw and Owlpaw are my sisters from a younger litter," he told Emberpaw, who looked confused. "Our mother is Ivyleaf's littermate, Sorrelheart." Emberpaw nodded, turning back to listen to what Ashpelt was saying to Ducktail.

"C'mon, follow me," Wolftail murmured, leading them to where five older warriors were talking.

"The deputies," he explained, flicking his tail to each one in turn. "You've met Bramblewhisker, but the silver tabby is Lakeheart, the brown tabby is Duststorm, and the tortoiseshell is Maplestripe."

"They look so big," she murmured, feeling very small.

"They're seasoned warriors," Wolftail said simply. "They've lived a long time and help lead their Clans."

"Giving apprentices a tour?" a soft voice sounded behind Wolftail, teasing him.

"My sisters," he said, turning. "Stormpaw, Owlpaw, this is Cherrystar, SkyClan's leader."

The calico she-cat lifted her tail, smiling at them warmly. Her fur, longer than Owlpaw's or Sorrelheart's, was mostly ginger, with white toes and a white blaze on her forehead and chest, her black patches on her muzzle, ears, legs, and tail. Her eyes were amber, like the honeycomb in the medicine den.

"I saw you with a few of my cats," Cherrystar said, her voice smooth like a riverstone. "Squirrelpaw, Tawnyfang, and Wrenfoot, right?"

"Oh, yes," Stormpaw stammered, realizing the leader was asking her a question. "They're very nice."

"Squirrelpaw is energetic," Owlpaw noted. "She reminds me of Redpaw."

"She does!" Stormpaw gasped, realizing the resemblance. "Imagine if they were friends."

"Just thinking about it is exhausting," Owlpaw mewed, stifling a laugh as she glanced at Cherrystar. "Our brother, Redpaw - he's a bit of a prankster."

"There's always one," Cherrystar purred. "Pranking them back usually slows them down, though."

Owlpaw blinked, flicking an ear. "That's an interesting idea…"

Stormpaw, recognizing the thoughtful look in her sister's eyes, looked at Cherrystar, asking, "Why'd you give her an idea? We won't be able to sleep anymore - we'll have a prank war to worry about!"

"Prank war…" Owlpaw murmured, tail flicking. Stormpaw, whining, cuffed her around an ear. Wolftail and Cherrystar laughed at the apprentice's distress, not seemingly concerned.

"Is everything alright?" asked a black tom, padding over from a discussion with an elder.

"Cherrystar gave Owlpaw the idea of pranking a prankster," Stormpaw lamented, "and now she's plotting because I said 'prank war'."

The tom twitched his whiskers, biting his lip.

"There's always someone," a small brown she-cat sighed, sitting beside the tom. "Fleckpaw was fond of leaving burrs in cats' nests for a few moons." Stormpaw, after a moment, placed her as Harestar, the WindClan leader, realizing a moment later that the black tom was Reedstar.

"Are you scaring my apprentices?" Palestar called, trotting over to the other leaders. Lightstar, talking to the other apprentices, glanced over at them, a glimmer in his eyes.

"Never intentionally, Palestar," Reedstar mewed, "but it's always fun to see a cat panic when they realize they didn't recognize a leader."

"Sadist," Stormpaw muttered, poking Owlpaw with a claw.

"Is Owlpaw okay?" Palestar asked.

"She's planning to start a prank war," Cherrystar informed the ShadowClan leader, who glared at her.

"Why must you give young cats bad ideas?" she asked. "Redpaw is a pawful on his own, we don't need Owlpaw pranking the Clan, too."

"Are young cats planning pranks?" Lightstar asked, joining them. "A fresh snakeskin on the edge of camp was always a classic, in my day."

Owlpaw blinked, leaning into Stormpaw and whispering, "Did he just say 'in my day?'" Stormpaw nodded, glancing at Harestar when she started laughing.

"Are young cats whispering about me again?" Lightstar asked, mock hurt. "Honestly, I may be old, but I'm still a cat."

"Sorry," Owlpaw blurted, "it's just - I'd never actually heard a cat say 'in my day' other than Dustfoot."

"That tom isn't nearly as old as I am," Lightstar told them. "He may know history back to Firestar and Tigerstar, but I know stories of Pinestar, Tigerstar's father, and the cats who led at the same time he did - Cedarstar of ShadowClan, Hailstar of RiverClan, and Heatherstar of WindClan. Cedarstar was followed by four cats before Tigerstar, though Nightstar was never truly leader, as StarClan didn't give him nine lives - there were two leaders between Pinestar and Firestar, though, Sunstar and Bluestar."

Stormpaw felt a twinge at the name Bluestar, being struck by an odd sense of familiarity for a moment.

"RiverClan and WindClan leaders lived longer than the others, being less inclined to fighting, though," Lightstar continued, having the apprentice's rapt attention. "Heatherstar was succeeded by Tallstar, he led at the same time as Bluestar. Hailstar was followed by Crookedstar, then Leopardstar, who led the Clans to the lake with Firestar and the leader that came after Tigerstar, Blackstar." Settling into a comfortable position, he told them of Yellowfang, the ShadowClan warrior turned ThunderClan medicine cat, and the sacrifices she made.

"As interesting as your stories are," Palestar mewed carefully, "I believe we should start heading back. Owlpaw is about to fall asleep on her paws." She touched her tail to the apprentice's shoulder, waking up the dozing she-cat.

"I'm up, Hawkfeather!" she yelped, looking around wildly. Seeing she was still at the Gathering, she flattened her ears, embarrassed, as Stormpaw purred with laughter.

"I'm going to find Foxpaw," Stormpaw purred to her sister. She dipped her head to the leaders respectfully. "It was really nice to meet you."

She trotted away and found Foxpaw with Cinderpaw and Applepaw, listening to a ThunderClan elder telling a story.

"They're about to end the Gathering, I'm guessing?" Cinderpaw asked. At Stormpaw's nod, she bid them goodbye and weaved her way through the crowd. Reedstar called for his cats to follow him a few moments later, leading everyone in the clearing to find their Clanmates and depart from the island.

"That was fun, right?" Foxpaw asked them as they crossed into ShadowClan territory. Owlpaw was dragging her feet, and Stormpaw was blinking, trying to stay awake.

"It was," Stormpaw yawned, "but it was so _long_. I could sleep for a moon!"

"I won't wake you till sunhigh," Shadefrost told her, tail flicking. "Though wait until tomorrow to fill in your denmates; they still have training in the morning."

She nodded, staying quiet for the rest of the way home. Once they were in camp, she scrabbled up the wall into the apprentice's den, collapsing in her nest and falling asleep immediately.

* * *

 **This chapter is 8k+ words. The others are all around a thousand, maybe 2k. Other chapters most likely will _not_ be this long, I just used the Gathering as a chance to show some of the culture changes I've made. Also, pay attention to cats that have been introduced - this story is long, and nearly everyone has a role of some sort. ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

"No, you need to keep your paws steady _and_ be on your toes!" Shadefrost was becoming exasperated with Stormpaw, her apprentice seemingly unable to master a badger defense. "Honestly, Stormpaw, what's with you today?"  
Stormpaw glanced at her mentor, trying to readjust her stance. "I haven't been sleeping to well," she admitted.

"Nightmares, still?" Her mentor had heard of her problem from Owlpaw and Foxpaw.

She nodded, her tail lashing in frustraition and claws digging into the ground. "They're always the same, and they make no sense! I'm either drowning or lost in the mountain or trapped in a fire or in this weird fog that never ends, or trapped in a snowstorm or falling through nothing at nothing endlessly! And no matter what I do, they keep coming back! I tried eating later, eating earlier, not eating, asking Ivyleaf for poppy seeds, moving my nest - nothing works!"

Shadefrost hummed. She stood and flicked her tail for Stormpaw to follow her, leading her back to camp.

"Wait here," she told her, padding to Palestar and whispering to her. After a few moments, she came back and said, "We're going to the Moonstone. Every apprentice visits it at some point during their training - your time has simply come earlier than usual."

Stormpaw perked up, tail twitching. "Are we going now?"

Shadefrost nodded. "Follow me."

As they always did to get across the territory, the mentor and apprentice ran, bounding through the pines to the cherry grove to the river and to the mountain. Shadefrost led her to the waterfall, pointing behind it with her tail. It was a shallow cave, carved out by the waterfall, with openings in a few places that presumably led deeper into the mountain.

"How do we get in?" she whispered, looking at Shadefrost.

"Watch what I do," Shadefrost murmured, bunching her muscles and leaping onto a ledge first, then from the ledge to the cave floor. Turning back to Stormpaw, she yowled, "Don't worry if you fall! The pool is calm and the shore leads up here."

' _I'm not going to fall_ ,' she decided firmly, crouching and taking a measured leap onto the ledge, scrabbling to get a firm hold. Once she was sure she wouldn't fall, she launched herself onto the cave floor, landing beside Shadefrost.

"Take a look," her mentor mewed, nodding her head to the waterfall.

Stormpaw gasped - the river was high above the ground, the cave floor halfway between the ground and the riverbed. Some of the water poured into the pool, gently enough that there wasn't a strong current but a gentle lapping against the stone. It didn't reach the floor, but some of the rock on the edges stretched down to create a smooth shore.

"This cavern has been carved out over many seasons by the water from the fall," Shadefrost explained. "It's older than the Clans."

"It's amazing," Stormpaw breathed, watching the waterfall roar into the river. The sound was quieter in the cavern, still loud, but quieter than the fall sounded on the edge of the trees.

"This way." Shadefrost lead her into one of the passages, halting when they came upon the Moonstone.

The cave it was in was on the other side of the mountain, with a hole in the ceiling that let light hit the giant crystal to make it glow, blue and bright.

"To speak to StarClan, you have to lay down with your nose against the Moonstone," Shadefrost explained. "Maybe they'll give you guidance and explain your nightmares."

Stormpaw padded forward, laying down and lowering her head timidly, until her chin was on her paws and her nose was against the Moonstone. Closing her eyes, she went to sleep.

* * *

Stormpaw looked around, confused. She was in a field, the sky bright and blue above her, but she was alone.

"Hello?" she called. "Is anyone there?"

No one appeared before her. Huffing, she turned in a random direction and started walking, a forest wreathed in mist eventually coming into view.

"Is anyone there?!" she yowled, getting closer until the mist was a tail-length from her. Weirdly, it didn't go into the field, instead remaining within the treeline like a barrier was keeping it there.

"Get away from there! Hey, you! Back away!"

Turning around, she saw a long-furred silver tabby bounding toward her.

"Can you tell me where I am?" she asked, walking away from the trees. "I was at the Moonstone, trying to get to StarClan, but I don't know what happened."

The tabby sighed with relief. "You made it to StarClan, don't worry," she mewed, "but you almost crossed into the Dark Forest. I don't know how you ended up so close to them."

Stormpaw shrugged. "I need help," she mewed. "I keep having nightmares and nothing stops them, not even poppy seeds. Can StarClan help?"

The tabby's gaze softened. "What's your name? I am Feathertail."

"Stormpaw, of ShadowClan," she replied. Feathertail's gaze flickered for a moment, turning sad.

"I'm sorry, Stormpaw, but we cannot help you," she mewed softly. "You walk a long path, and some parts you must walk alone."

Stormpaw flicked an ear, exhaling sharply. "But these nightmares are messing up my sleep so much that I can't train!" she argued, lashing her tail. "How am I supposed to be a warrior if I'm never rested enough to hunt or patrol?"

"I don't know," Feathertail confessed. "StarClan doesn't control any dreams but the ones they send, and your nightmares are coming from within. You must learn how to recognize and control your nightmares if you wish for them to stop."

Stormpaw frowned, narrowing her eyes. "Are you _sure_ there's nothing StarClan can do? Maybe another cat who could help me?"

Feathertail tilted her head, thinking for a moment. She swished her tail once.

"Half Moon or Moth Flight may be able to advise you," she conceded. "Possibly Jayfeather."

"Great!" Stormpaw jumped to her feet. "How do I find them?"

Feathertail pointed her tail toward a rise in the distance. "Jayfeather and Half Moon usually stay by the Warm Stones. Moth Flight...wanders. Windstar or Gorsestar may know where she is, or Micah, if you find them. Jayfeather is a gray tabby, and Half Moon and Moth Flight are white she-cats. Good luck, Stormpaw."

"Thank you!" Stormpaw darted off, running to the rise. After a few paces, she realized that her muscles didn't tire no matter how hard or long she ran. Allowing herself a moment of elation, she ran harder, the rise coming into view as a large, hollow stone hill, with cats milling about the base. She slowed to a walk, padding closer and taking in the scents and appearances of the StarClan cats.

A gray cat with a squashed face and matted fur was looking fondly at a pair of kits, ignoring the ginger tom arguing with a pair of she-cats a little ways away - one a cream tabby, one smaller, solid gray. A queen that looked like Feathertail was beside a sleeping gray tom with a dark stripe down his back, talking to a black and white tom. A pair of ginger tabbies, nearly identical to the tom, were wrestling below a dark brown tabby and a dark ginger she-cat with a white paw. Playing with them were a pair of kits, one black and one gray. A light brown tabby was with a black queen, scolding a lanky black tom.

' _There!'_ Just past them, sitting around a pool in the stone hill, was a group of cats deep in discussion - a small white cat, a light gray tabby, a large golden tabby, a long-furred black cat, and a dappled gray tabby. Holding her head high, she slipped past the other cats unnoticed and approached them.

"Excuse me?" The cats turned toward her, the gray tabby scowling once he saw her.

"We're busy, go find other apprentices to play with," he growled, flicking his tail.

"Jayfeather, she's a visitor," the black cat scolded him. To Stormpaw, she mewed, "Ignore my brother, he's been a grump since we were kits. What do you need?"

" _He's_ Jayfeather?" Stormpaw flicked her tail tip once, then shaking her head. "Sorry. I'm Stormpaw. Feathertail told me that he and Half Moon might be able to help me with my nightmares?"

"They probably can," the other gray tabby mewed, looking at Jayfeather.

" _Fine_ ," he sighed, rolling his eyes at the she-cats. Spotting the golden tabby poorly stifling his laughter, he he snapped, "Shut up, Lionblaze, I don't see _you_ helping."

"I wasn't a medicine cat," Lionblaze said. "Hollyleaf and Cinderheart could help, though." He nodded to each she-cat in turn, not noticing Hollyleaf flicking her tail at him. Stormpaw noticed that she was near identical to Shadefrost, with her long legs and fur and dark green eyes, but pushed the thought aside.

"You're the only one here who was never trained as a medicine cat, but you've been here just as long as I have," Cinderheart pointed out.

"Not as long as me, thank the stars," Hollyleaf mewed gratefully. "And I wasn't the medicine apprentice for that long,

Half Moon, who had watched them quietly, looked at Stormpaw with bright clear green eyes.

"What are your nightmares about?" she asked.

Stormpaw, elaborating when Hollyleaf asked her to, explained the dreams. "The drowning dream is just drowning. I'm in the water and the waves are throwing me around like a mossball and I can't breathe and it just keeps getting darker until I wake up."

Lionblaze and Hollyleaf shuddered. "We nearly drowned, once."

Jayfeather flicked his tail, eyes cold. "I had enough swimming for a lifetime while I was alive. The lake was calmer than the river, at least."

"It doesn't feel like the river," Stormpaw mewed. "It's deeper and rougher, with rocks that I hit if I don't wake up soon enough."

"That sounds like the gorge in the first territories," Cinderheart said, swishing her tail. "But you don't have any way to know about that."

"How do you know about it?" Stormpaw asked. "I thought you were from the lake territories."

"I am," Cinderheart confirmed. "But I was Cinderpelt, given a second chance, but I didn't remember until I was told. Once I was, all of CInderpelt's memories became mine, too."

Stormpaw stared at her, eyes wide and jaw slightly dropped.

"It's a bit odd," Half Moon mewed, "but sometimes cats are reincarnated. Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing are reincarnations of ancient cats, Jay's Wing, Dove's Wing, and Lion's Roar. Jay's Wing and Dove's Wing were among the ones who traveled with me to the mountains where Lion's Roar was born. There, we became the Tribe of Rushing Water, and I was the first Stoneteller. Some of the cats in my Tribe traveled out of the mountains and founded your Clans."

"Really?" Stormpaw gasped, excitement in her eyes. "So Morningcloud was right, cats can be reborn?"

"Very rarely, but yes," Half Moon confirmed. "If a cat is reborn, it's likely they have a purpose, something they must do in the Clans."

Stormpaw thought for a moment, twitching an ear. "Could their old memories leak into their new life?"

"I don't think so," Hollyleaf said. "Jayfeather was part of a prophecy, so he was able to walk in dreams and look at the past. Through that, he found out that Lionblaze and Dovewing were reincarnations, and Cinderheart was, too."

"I only knew because he told me," Cinderheart said, shrugging. "Yellowfang told him to and it was the most painful thing, having her life come into me."

Stormpaw flicked her tail, thinking quietly until Hollyleaf prodded her with a claw.

"What about your other nightmares?" she asked, reminding Stormpaw of why she came in the first place.

"Well, one of them I'm lost in the mountain," she mewed, curling her tail around her paws. "I'm in one of the passages and I can smell someone ahead of me, usually Owlpaw or Redpaw or Foxpaw, but I can never reach them. Or the camp is on fire and it's getting hotter and there's smoke but I'm either trapped in a den or running back in because one of the kits is stuck or watching it burn while everyone's asleep and doesn't notice." Cinderheart blinked, one of her ears flicking, but said nothing. "The weirdest one is a fog - I can't see very far, and it doesn't stop no matter how far I run, but I can see flashes of cats in the distance - some of them are hostile and are covered in scars and I'll see flashes of teeth and claws, while others look friendlier and have stars in their fur, from what I can see. It's usually just their tails or ears, maybe their eyes, but once I try to get closer they disappear."

"Can you scent them?" Lionblaze asked.

"Sometimes. The hostile ones smell like mold and blood and some hints of Clan scents, but their Clan scent is faded and faint. The - I guess the friendlier ones? - have strong Clan scents mixed with - with cold, like the wind off the mountain? It's mostly RiverClan and ThunderClan, but one of them smells like mice and a weird plant."

"Are those all of them?" Hollyleaf asked.

Stormpaw shook her head. "There are a couple others, but they're not as frequent - in one I'm alone in a blizzard and looking for someone I can never find, and in the other I'm just falling. There's nothing above or below me, I'm just falling."

Jayfeather flicked his tail, growling a low hum. "Sounds like you're dreaming of fears. Not much you can do about that except overcome them."

Stormpaw lashed her tail. "But I can't keep having these nightmares!" she growled. "They're worrying everyone in the Clan!"

"Then face your fears and overcome them," Jayfeather snapped. "StarClan isn't all powerful. Sometimes you have to solve your own problems."

Stormpaw huffed, the scenery fading as she woke up next to the Moonstone. Shadefrost turned to her as she sat up, noting her apprentice's lashing tail and bristling pelt.

"They aren't able to help you." It wasn't a question.

"They just said I have to overcome my fears and solve my own problems," Stormpaw growled, swiping her paw at a pebble and sending it across the cavern.

"I suppose we'll have to do fear training, then," Shadefrost mewed, touching her tail to Stormpaw's shoulder. "Come on, we'd best get back before it's too dark."

When they exited the mountain back to their own territory, a yowl sounded from RiverClan's side of the border.

"What do you want?" Shadefrost yowled over the waterfall, flicking her tail at them to get away from the waterfall.

"Why's ShadowClan visiting the Moonstone?" the RiverClan cat yowled when the waterfall was far enough away that they could be heard over it. "I thought your apprentices didn't visit until their fifth moon."

"That's ShadowClan business, Heronwhisker," Shadefrost called back. "What are you doing so close to the waterfall?"

"One of our apprentices wandered off," Heronwhisker replied. "If you find Rushpaw, please bring her back."

"Why do you think she'd be on our territory?" Stormpaw asked.

"StarClan knows with 'paws." Heronwhisker shrugged. "But we've scoured the territory and can't find her anywhere."

"We'll keep an eye out," Shadefrost promised.

Heronwhisker dipped her head in thanks, turning and trotting deeper into RiverClan territory as the ShadowClan she-cats went back to the forest.

"No one would cross that close to the waterfall, would they?" Stormpaw asked Shadefrost, looking at her.

"No cat with sense," Shadefrost confirmed, winding through the cherry trees. "The waterfall makes the current stronger than any cat can navigate, and the water right by it is tumultuous. If Rushpaw was smart, she'd cross closer to the stones or the ThunderClan border."

"If she was smart, she wouldn't cross into our territory," Stormpaw mewed, flicking her tail. Lifting her nose, she flicked at ear at her mentor, dropping into a hunting crouch. Creeping forward slowly, she got to the roots of a cherry tree and climbed the trunk in a flash, snagging a squirrel by its tail and nipping its neck.

"Good technique," Shadefrost praised her as she hopped back onto the ground. "Keep your hind paws sheathed when you climb, though. Throwing bark scraps could scare off prey."

Stormpaw nodded, carrying her squirrel happily. After a few paces, she stopped, gasping and dropping the squirrel.

"Shadefrost! Shadefrost, it's Rushpaw!" She bounded forward, nosing the black she-cat. The other apprentice was slumped on her side, her fur soaking wet.

"Great StarClan," Shadefrost whispered, burying the squirrel and jumping over. Gently, she nosed Rushpaw's chest, listening to heartbeat. "She's alive, but she's weak."

Rushpaw coughed, water dribbling out of her mouth. Using a paw, Shadefrost massaged her chest gently, more water spilling out. Eventually, Rushpaw started hacking, opening her eyes.

"Where -" She broke off, coughing until a waterlogged furball came out. Stormpaw wrinkled her nose, leaning back.

"You're in ShadowClan," Shadefrost mewed. "Can you stand?"

Rushpaw tried putting her weight on her paws, shaking and unable to rise above a crouch.

"We'll take you to Ivyleaf, then." Shadefrost looked at Stormpaw. "Help her walk, I'll carry your prey."

Stormpaw nodded, gently nosing Rushpaw to her feet darting under her, standing to carry her. The RiverClan apprentice hissed, catching her claws on Stormpaw's legs.

"Try not to maul me," Stormpaw mewed softly, catching Rushpaw's lashing tail with her own. "Just - bite my scruff, but not too hard."

Rushpaw did, remaining motionless as Stormpaw carried her. Shadefrost walked ahead of them, leading the way into camp as Stormpaw let Rushpaw slide off her back, nosing her to follow.

"Shadefrost!" Leafspring called. "You and Stormpaw were supposed to join the evening patrol!"

"We had to help a RiverClan apprentice instead!" she yowled back, tossing the squirrel onto the fresh-kill pile. She flicked her tail at the entrance, where Stormpaw was helping Rushpaw to Ivyleaf's den.

"Great StarClan, we don't need RiverClan thinking we stole one of their 'paws," Leafspring grumbled, padding over.

"Heronwhisker said she had gone missing," Shadefrost told him. "Someone can go to the border and wait for a RiverClanner to come by and tell them. She can barely walk, we can't very well send her across the river."

"I can swim," Rushpaw argued weakly, voice hoarse.

"You can prove that to us when you can stand on your paws without help," Stormpaw told her curtly. "Now stay here, under the dogwood."

Rushpaw glanced up at the blossoming tree, flicking her tail with annoyance. Stormpaw poked her head into the hollow tree, yowling, "Wolftail, Ivyleaf! Rushpaw needs help!"

"Rushpaw is Ashpelt's problem!" came Wolftail's grumpy yowl.

"Not right now, she isn't! I'm getting her water, she's short of breath and can't walk on her own!"

Ivyleaf padded out of the den, herb dust coating her white pelt. Spotting Rushpaw, she went to the apprentice, sitting down and asking gentle questions.

Stormpaw soaked a clump of moss in the stream, dropping it by Rushpaw. "How'd you end up in the grove?"

Rushpaw glared at her. "I didn't _mean_ to. I slipped while I was fishing and ended up on your side of the river. I must have hit my head, I thought it was my territory."

Thistlepaw came over carrying a mouse, flicking an ear. "Fish," he greeted her.

"Thistledown," she snapped back, dragging the mouse to her by its tail. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

Thistlepaw shrugged. "I finished my training for the day. Shouldn't you be across the water?"

"I fell in," she growled.

"And got a concussion, it looks like," Ivyleaf said, sighing. "You'll be dizzy for a few days and unsteady, but so long as you take it easy and drink enough water, you should be fine."

"What about her coughing and wheezing?" Stormpaw asked.

"Water in her lungs," Ivyleaf explained. "Not much to do but cough until it's gone."

"Great," Rushpaw grunted, taking a bite of mouse. "When can I go home?"

"Not till the morning," Ivyleaf said, turning and nodding to Leafspring and Palestar. "One of the patrols tomorrow, if you're able to walk, will take you to the river with them."

Rushpaw exhaled sharply, resting her chin on her paws and flicking her tail. After the warriors and medicine cat left, she mumbled, "My Clan probably doesn't even realize I'm gone."

Stormpaw tilted her head. "Heronwhisker was looking for you when Shadefrost and I passed the border. She said they'd looked everywhere for you."

Rushpaw twitched her tail, saying nothing as she closed her eyes. Thistlepaw yawned, looking between the two she-cats.

"Well, this is fun," he said dryly. "Rushpaw, if someone grooms you will you claw their nose?"

"Depends on what you mean by grooming," she growled, not opening her eyes.

"I mean getting the water out of your pelt."

"Go ahead. Just don't whine if my supposed 'fish-scent' makes you gag."

Thistlepaw snorted, sitting beside her and licking her fur the wrong way once before pulling back. "It's like a mouthful of fish!" he cried. "It's suffocating me!"

"Hey, you don't hear me complaining about your sickening pine sap!" Rushpaw snapped.

Thistlepaw collapsed onto his back, rolling around beside her. "StarClan, it's killing me! It's like a fish leapt down my throat!"

Stormpaw broke, purring with laughter and twitching her whiskers. "You're ridiculous, Thistlepaw," she laughed. "It can't be _that_ bad."

"You try, then!" he said, jumping to his paws, yellow eyes wide.

"Fine, I will!"

Looking at Rushpaw for permission, she licked her fur after she nodded, stopping and wrinkling her nose for a moment.

"Liar, it's just river water," she said, going back to grooming Rushpaw.

"Yeah, it is," he said. "I just wanted to pull your tails and see if you'd step in."

"You cheeky little!" Stormpaw looked at her brother, who was twitching his tail with a smug look on his face. She shook her head. "Go find Sagepaw, you kit!"

He padded off, waving his tail at them in farewell.

"That's one way to deal with toms," Rushpaw muttered, relaxing as Stormpaw dried her fur.

"He's my brother, but he isn't normally like that," she mewed. "Normally he's more… serious, I guess."

"That's what the Clan thinks of Emberpaw, but he's a jokester when it's just us," Rushpaw said warmly. "Cats just show different faces to different cats."

Stormpaw leaned back, finished with grooming Rushpaw. "I guess so," she hummed. "Will you be alright here?"

"Go on." Rushpaw nodded to the rest of the camp. "Your medicine cats are a fox-length away, I'll be fine."

Stormpaw flicked her tail, joining Foxpaw and Sagepaw under the apprentice den.

"Making new friends?" Sagepaw asked, running one of her paws over her ear.

"Making sure our guest is alright," she sighed, starting to groom her own pelt. "I had to carry her here from the grove."

"Carry a RiverClan cat?" Foxpaw asked. "Their kits weigh as much as you!"  
"She's not _that_ heavy," Stormpaw purred. "And I'm not so weak I can't carry a cat my own size!"

"She's bigger than you," Foxpaw said. "Only slightly, but still bigger."

" _Everyone_ is bigger than Stormpaw," Owlpaw interjected, joining them. "She's tiny."

"I'm not that small!" she argued. "I'm only a little bit shorter than you!"

"Short enough that you could be mistaken for a kit," Owlpaw teased. "When we're warriors, you'll probably only be the size of an apprentice nearly done with training."

Stormpaw growled, flicking her tail. "Size is no guarantee of power, Owlpaw."

"It's still easier to knock out a cat who's smaller or lighter than you," the tortoiseshell purred.

Stormpaw flicked her tail, turning back to Foxpaw and Sagepaw, who were laughing. Sagepaw had a paw near her muzzle, at least trying to hide her laughter, while Foxpaw just laughed.

"At least cats won't hear me coming," she said, puffing out her chest. "Your heavy footfalls will give away any ambush you plan."

"Why you-"

Stormpaw leapt away from her sister's swiping paw, clawing up the mountainside to get into the den.

"Catch me if you can, Owlpaw, but we both know who's faster!"

Satisfied with her sister's scowl and flicking tail, she ducked into the den, collapsing into her nest happily.

* * *

 _She was in a meadow, like the one she had met Feathertail in._

' _Am I in StarClan again?' she wondered, wandering aimlessly._

" _Hey, Stormpaw!_ Hey!" _Turning, she saw a gray and white kit bounding toward her, stars shooting up when her paws hit the ground._

" _Can I help you?" Stormpaw asked, catching the kit when she stumbled into her._

 _The kit blinked at her, green eyes wide. "Uh - well, um - have you seen Snowfur or Mistystar or Stonefur or Oakheart?"_

 _Stormpaw blinked. "No, I haven't. I actually just got here. What do they look like?"_

 _The kit tipped her head, thinking. "Snowfur is white with gray tips on her ears and tail, and Mistystar is pale-blue gray, and Stonefur looks like you with short fur, and Oakheart is a brown tabby, I think Redtail called him cinna- cimma-"_

" _Cinnamon?"_

" _Yeah, that!" She bounced on her toes, stars flying off her fur. "Can you help me find them?"_

" _Sure," Stormpaw mewed. "What's your name?"_

" _I'm Mosskit!"_

" _Let's go, then, Mosskit."_

 _She padded beside Mosskit, watching for anyone to appear and take the kit. She smelled like ThunderClan and RiverClan's shared border, for some reason._

" _They may be by the singing stones," Mosskit chirped, trotting ahead. "They like to sun there with Willowbreeze and Crookedstar and Silverstream."_

" _Aren't those RiverClan cats?" Stormpaw asked, watching the kit walk in a winding path._

" _Yep! Snowfur is ThunderClan, and so is Redtail, but the rest of 'em are RiverClan. Except Whitestorm, he's ThunderClan, too. He's my cousin, he's big and fluffy and white, kinda like Whitefang."_

" _Who?"_

" _Whitefang, the ShadowClan warrior." Mosskit waggled her haunches and leapt up, trying to catch a butterfly. "She's fun, but I like my family best. And Yellowfang, she's funny."_

That _was a name Stormpaw recognized, but she was too busy trying to keep Mosskit focused to think about the ShadowClan warrior turned medicine cat turned ThunderClan cat._

" _There they are!" Mosskit yowled, racing ahead when a bunch of gray stones came into view. "Thanks, Stormpaw!"_

" _Oh, uh, no problem!" She faltered, considering for a moment before padding after the kit anyway, watching until Mosskit was next to Oakheart, the brown tom pulling her close when he saw her. With him were two blue-gray cats, one pale and one dark - Mistystar and Stonefur. A little ways away, a tabby slightly paler than Oakheart was beside a silver tabby, watching a pair of silver tabby kits with her. A full-grown silver and black tabby was across the small stream, with a pair of dark gray toms and - Feathertail?_

 _Stormpaw padded down the slope, bypassing the other groups in favor of going straight to Feathertail._

" _Stormpaw!" Feathertail mewed, noticing her. "What are you doing back here?"_

 _She shrugged. "Showed up here. Mosskit wanted me to help her find Oakheart."_

" _It looks like you succeeded," the other silver tabby mewed. "It's weird, realizing that Mistystar and Stonefur are my cousins."_

" _This is my mother, Silverstream," Feathertail explained, "and my brother and father, Stormfur and Graystripe."_

 _Stormpaw dipped her head to them, keeping her attention on Feathertail. "So you don't know why I ended up here?" she asked._

" _I'm sorry, I don't," she replied. "Dreams don't always make sense, I'm afraid."_

 _Stormpaw deflated. "I know, I just figured if I ended up in StarClan, there must be a reason for it."_

" _Maybe it'll come to you the more you think about it," Graystripe purred. Looking behind Stormpaw, he flicked an ear. "Oh, no, Bumblestripe is going to get into trouble."_

 _He raced off toward a pair of cats, a paler gray tabby and a calico who were growling at each other. Behind them, a brown tabby was scolding them._

" _You'd think they'd get along by now," a new voice said, joining Feathertail. To Stormpaw, she mewed, "I'm Briarlight, hi."_

" _Hi." She looked at Feathertail. "How do I get back, then, if I don't have a reason to be here?"_

 _Feathertail shrugged. "I don't know, but you'll probably start fading out of StarClan now that you've asked. Good luck, Stormpaw."_

" _Thanks," she whispered, stepping back as the image flickered and faded to nothing._

She woke up in her nest, momentarily confused, before sighing.

' _My dreams are never going to make sense, are they,'_ she thought with a sigh, staring into the dark and waiting for her denmates' even breaths to lull her back to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Long before dawn, Foxpaw and Stormpaw were awake and dragging themselves out of their den.

"Why are we up so early?" Foxpaw asked, yawning with his mouth open wide enough to show off every tooth he had.

"Dawn patrol, Foxpaw," Russettail told him. "You, me, Stormpaw, and Shadefrost are headed to RiverClan first to take Rushpaw home."

Stormpaw, rubbing an eye with her paw, glanced at the sleeping RiverClan apprentice. "Who wants to wake her up and tell her? I'm not looking to get clawed this morning."

Foxpaw sighed. "I'll do it." Bushy tail high, he prodded Rushpaw's shoulder with a claw and leapt back, dodging her expert paw swipe.

"We're taking you home, Rushpaw," he said around a yawn. "Do you want - do we feed her?" He looked at Russettail, who dipped his head, and turned back to Rushpaw. "What do you want to eat? There's mouse, vole, squirrel, frog. No fish, I'm afraid, but there are a few birds."

Rushpaw lifted her head, stretching as she said, "Anything's fine."

"Squirrel it is!" he bounced over to the fresh-kill pile, grabbing a squirrel and a mouse. "C'mon, Stormpaw, you can share it with her."

Stormpaw flicked her tail, following Foxpaw and settling down beside Rushpaw.

"I always forget that squirrels are the size of a kit," Rushpaw mumbled around a mouthful of food.

"It's why it takes two cats to eat one," Stormpaw said softly, slowly waking up. "Mm, nothing like young squirrel."

"Mice are better," Foxpaw chirped, licking the last scraps of breakfast from his whiskers.

"As if," Stormpaw snorted. "Squirrels are juicy and plump."

"Mice aren't furry."

"Mice are _tiny_."

"Perfect for you, then!"

Stormpaw sighed, turning to Rushpaw. "Every time. Every time one of them jokes, it's about me being small."

Rushpaw blinked, forcing her whiskers to remain still. "Well, you are small, but that's not a bad thing," she said carefully, stretching out her legs. "You may be easily overpowered, though."

Stormpaw rolled her eyes, arching her back as she stood. "Brute force isn't everything, you know. Cunning and skill can win a battle, too."

"Whatever you say, ShadowClan." Rushpaw stood slowly, testing out her paws.

"Think you can walk?" Russettail asked, joining them with Shadefrost.

"Walk, yes," Rushpaw said. "Jogging or running? Iffy."

Russettail purred. "We'll take it slow, then. On we go, 'paws."

By the time the sun had started to rise, the five cats were at the river. Rushpaw occasionally dipped a paw in the water, hissing at the freezing temperature.

"You're going to lose your paw if you keep doing that," Shadefrost mewed, watching RiverClan territory.

Rushpaw shook her head. "It'll warm up, dawn-water is just always freezing. No fish here, though."

"I don't think they'd survive that drop," Stormpaw said, flicking her tail at the waterfall.

"You'd be surprised," Rushpaw replied, dipping her paw back into the water. After a few moments, she flicked it at Stormpaw, splashing her.

"Hey!"

Foxpaw, Russettail, and Shadefrost watched, their whiskers twitching.

"Drypaw, the water won't hurt you," Rushpaw laughed. "Swimming is just like walking, the only difference is that you're in water."

"I think I'll stay dry, thanks," Stormpaw growled, her fur bushing out. "I don't know how you stand getting wet."

Rushpaw shook her pelt. "Eating fish makes our pelts slick," she said simply. She held her paw close to her chest, watching the water. Before Stormpaw could blink, she flashed her paw out, pulling a fish from the water and tossing it onto the riverbank.

"Hunting on another Clan's territory?" Shadefrost asked.

"ShadowClan doesn't fish anyway," Rushpaw said, nipping the fish behind its head. Shadefrost merely twitched an ear, turning back to watch RiverClan's territory.

By the time a RiverClan patrol appeared, Rushpaw had caught three more fish and told Stormpaw and Foxpaw each different kind.

"I thought a fish was a fish," Foxpaw said, sniffing a trout.

"Not even," Rushpaw purred. "A lot of fish swim this river - trout, salmon, char, graylings, minnows, pike. They're all different, and they're all _delicious_ , better than a mouse or squirrel could hope to be!"

"But they're _scaly_ ," Stormpaw mewed, sniffing a salmon. "And slimy."

"Try a bite, I dare you," Rushpaw challenged.

"I'd rather not steal a RiverClan fish," she replied, wrinkling her nose.

"Well, that's a crisis averted, then," Graystream said from across the river. "Morning, ShadowClan. I think you have one of our apprentices."

"Is that who she is?" Foxpaw asked, flicking his tail at Rushpaw. "I thought she had just come from the river itself."

"Very funny, Foxpaw," Cinderpaw mewed, twitching her tail. "Almost as funny as when you said you thought I was born from an egg like a fish."

"Well, were you?" Stormpaw asked. "With how all of you swim, it's hard to believe you're cats and not just furry fish."

Graystream twitched his whiskers as his Clanmate bristled. Diving into the river, he emerged beside Rushpaw and shook out his fur.

"That was low!" Stormpaw cried, jumping back.

"Should've expected it, though," Foxpaw grumbled, padding behind Russettail. "You can have her, Ivyleaf just said she'll probably be dizzy for a few days. A concussion, she said."

"Thank you for taking care of her," Graystream mewed, dipping his head. "See you around, ShadowClan." He picked up two of Rushpaw's fish, following her back to their own territory.

"You're welcome," Russettail said dryly, turning to his Clanmates. "One border checked, two more to see. Ready?"

"Anything to get away from the fish scent," Foxpaw muttered to Stormpaw, flicking water off his paw. She just purred, padding after their mentors.

They returned to camp with Stormpaw holding a squirrel and a mouse and Foxpaw carrying a pair of voles, having hunted on their way back. The Clan, oddly, was gathered to listen to Palestar and Ivyleaf, with Leafspring and Wolftail sitting under the Cliffedge.

"What's going on?" Russettail asked Sorrelheart, sitting between her and Shadefrost. Stormpaw, glancing at Foxpaw, sat down with them.

"Palestar won't say," Sorrelheart murmured, flicking her daughter's ear with her tail. "They were waiting for you to get back, but Ivyleaf is worried. She's been pacing camp all morning."

Stormpaw looked at Foxpaw, who shrugged. Scanning the crowd, she saw that Wolftail had sidled away from Leafspring to whisper to Frostfang. Her brother didn't show any emotions, instead guarding his gaze as he scanned the crowd. She noticed that he and Rosefur locked eyes, Rosefur twitching her tail and flicking her ears once before turning from her littermate to Badgerpelt.

"ShadowClan!" Palestar yowled, silencing the whispers immediately. "Ivyleaf has received a message from StarClan. Ivyleaf?"

The medicine cat stepped forward, sitting and wrapping her tail around her paws. "Mothcloud gave me a prophecy," she mewed. " _In the shadows, a storm is brewing. Thrive as you survive, or the end of lives will come._ "

Everyone started whispering. Kitetail yowled, "Did the other medicine cats get the same message?"

"I don't know," Ivyleaf answered, shrugging helplessly.

"Is it about us?" Icefoot asked.

"If it was, it'd be Duskstorm, Brindlestorm, or Stormpaw," Eaglefeather called. "They all have storm in their names."

"We don't know what it's about," Wolftail said, standing with his tail high. "But we're more concerned about the second half. _Thrive as you survive, or the end of lives will come_."

"That seems pretty clear to me," Dustfoot grunted, sitting with Cloverfur and the kits. "We barely scrape by in colder moons. We need to do better or face the end of ShadowClan."

"You shouldn't jump to conclusions like that, Dustfoot," Bluefoot hissed. "It's newleaf, and prey is running better than in seasons past."

"Which is precisely why I'm worried!" Dustfoot snapped, lashing his tail. "Change heralds change, whether we realize it or not."

"Calm down, both of you," Cloverfur mewed firmly, lifting her tail. "Squabbling does naught for us, and questioning prophecies is as fruitful as kit-play."

"Thank you, Cloverfur." Leafspring stood, joining Palestar with a single leap. "Hopefully the prophecy doesn't come true for moons, but we need to prepare. We need to make sure we remain in top form, at our best for hunting and fighting so we can meet anything that comes at us. That means more patrols and more training, for warriors as well as apprentices."

He hopped back to the ground, nodding to Palestar. The tabby continued, "We're going to start new training regimens immediately. Mentors, I won't presume to know better than you, but we need to up group training and night training, and we should all take a cue from Shadefrost and work on endurance. Sorrelheart, Bluefoot, I'm putting you in charge of working with the mentors to adjust the apprentices' training. Kitetail, you and Frostfang will work on organizing warrior training with Leafspring. Meeting dismissed!"

Palestar leapt off the Cliffedge as her Clan slowly dispersed. Stormpaw felt a pang of concern shoot through her when the leader came to a halt in front of her. Foxpaw, glancing between the two and then at Shadefrost, slowly padded over to Sagepaw, leaving Shadefrost, Stormpaw, and Palestar to speak.

"Stormpaw, you've been having odd dreams?" Palestar asked. "Can you tell me about them?"

Stormpaw blinked, her tail twitching. "Uh - they're really just nightmares, honestly. When we went to the Moonstone, StarClan didn't help at all with them," she mewed. She flicked an ear, remembering her last dream. "Although, last night I _did_ dream in StarClan. It wasn't much, though, I just helped a kit find her family."

"Do you remember who you met, in both dreams?" Palestar asked. Ivyleaf joined them, gently touching her tail tip to Stormpaw's shoulder.

"Well, the first time was…" She thought for a moment. "Feathertail gave me directions and I met Jayfeather, Half Moon, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Cinderheart. The second time I was showing Mosskit to Oakheart, not that I met him, but I saw Feathertail again and her family - Silverstream, Stormfur, and Graystripe. And another cat, Briarlight, I think."

Shadefrost twitched at the mention of Hollyleaf. Ivyleaf looked at her niece oddly.

"You remembered those names very easily," she said softly.

Stormpaw looked at her, confused. "Is that weird? It's just - I talked to them, and they were introduced to me, so I remember."

"Most forget their dreams, or the specifics, not long after they wake up," Ivyleaf explained.

Stormpaw shook her head. "I always remember my dreams. I mean, most of them are nightmares and they keep coming back, so it's not that hard to remember them."

"What are your nightmares of?" Palestar asked.

Stormpaw thought for a moment. "Usually I'm looking for someone. In the mountain, or in a fog or a blizzard, and if I'm not looking for someone, I'm - I'm in danger, I guess. Falling or drowning or trapped in a fire."

Palestar hummed, flicking an ear and looking at Ivyleaf. The white she-cat met her gaze and said, "I can analyze dreams, Palestar, but I can't interpret them unless I see them for myself. Her nightmares sound like fears making themselves known more than StarClan trying to send a message."

Palestar sighed, looking at the ground. "I know. I had hoped for answers, is all. I may have to visit the Moonstone myself if we don't get answers soon."

Stormpaw flicked her tail. "Feathertail told me that StarClan doesn't control all dreams, only the ones they send," she mumbled, regaining the older she-cats' attention. "She said my dreams come from within."

"Well, that's that possibility tossed out," Shadefrost mewed. "Unless they told you anything else."

 _Only that I walk a long path, and some parts I must walk alone_ , she thought bitterly, remembering her first conversation with Feathertail. Out loud, she said, "Nothing important. If I remember anything, I'll tell you."

Ivyleaf licked her ear. "You'd best get to training, then. We don't want you to fall behind your littermates."

Stormpaw butted her head against Ivyleaf's chin.

Following Shadefrost to the training clearing, a thought crossed her mind. _Why didn't I tell them?_ she wondered. _It's_ exactly _the sort of thing they were wondering about_.

 _Because Feathertail told you that you need to walk alone_ , a voice supplied. _And you're more ready to do that than you realize_.


	11. Chapter 11

With training increased, Stormpaw found that she had fewer nightmares when she was exhausted and woke up feeling more rested than she had in moons. Latching onto this, she begged Shadefrost to train longer every day, eventually caving to her mentor's question and explaining why.

"Why not tell me that the first time instead of telling me you wanted to make sure you had the technique down right?" Shadefrost asked her, watching her climb a tree near ThunderClan's border.

"Because I _did_ want to make sure I had that technique down!" she called back down. "And I wasn't sure if the no-dream-sleep was a fluke or not, so I had to make sure, and the only way to do that was by working to exhaustion!"

"You should have told me _why_ , though!" Shadefrost scolded her. "What if you pushed too hard and had another nightmare? You would have tried to work even harder the next day!"

Stormpaw scrambled down the tree as fast as she could, landing next to her mentor with a quiet _thump_. "If I had a nightmare after working to exhaustion, I would have told you," she said, "and I would have asked to work in camp instead of running across the territory."

Shadefrost sighed, flicking her tail as Stormpaw held her gaze. Though she and her littermates were full grown, her littermates the same size as Frostfang and his sisters, she was still shorter than the rest by an ear-length, making her a head shorter than Shadefrost, the tallest cat in the Clan next to Russettail. She made up for it by remaining slender and sleek, reminiscent of a WindClan cat.

"You'll be the death of me," Shadefrost muttered, flicking her tail and leading Stormpaw deeper into ShadowClan territory.

"Like you'd ever accept death before Sorrelheart," Stormpaw snorted, padding alongside her.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It _means_ -" She dodged her mentor's sudden swipe. "- that you and Sorrelheart have a rivalry that goes deeper than mine and Owlpaw's, and you won't concede, let alone to one of her kits."

She ducked under Shadefrost's sudden attack, darting forward and jumping at a tree, using its trunk as a springboard and scraping her sheathed paw down her mentor's side.

Shadefrost grinned. "You're getting better," she mewed, nodding to her. "And you've learned to stay on guard."

"It took three hits to my ear to learn that," she grumbled, twitching her pelt to free it of any dirt. "Are we joining the others?"

Shadefrost nodded. "Sorrelheart and Flamefur planned something and won't tell us what."

Spotting her black tail flicking, Stormpaw grinned. "That's just eating at you, isn't it? You don't like being left in the dark." She ducked the paw swipe easily.

"You'll understand when you're a senior warrior," Shadefrost told her.

Sorrelheart spotted them as soon as they came into camp, yowling, "You're late!"

"We were training!" Shadefrost snapped back, sitting with the other mentors as Stormpaw saw between Owlpaw and Foxpaw.

"Funny, we _would_ have been if you hadn't taken your time!"

Stormpaw twitched her whiskers as Shadefrost and Sorrelheart sniped quietly at each other, only ceasing when Flamefur cleared her throat and looked at them pointedly.

"We're assigning each of you a new mentor for today," Flamefur said. "I'd _say_ to respect them as you would your usual mentor, but StarClan knows what Shadefrost and Russettail have been doing."

"Training a warrior," Shadefrost put in dryly.

Flamefur flicked her tail. "The mentor you're assigned will assess your hunting and fighting skills and determine what you need to improve on from here. Your mentors will be here, giving Leafspring and Palestar a report of how your training has gone thus far."

The new mentors were all warriors without apprentices of their own, ones Flamefur clearly trusted to be impartial. Stormpaw was assigned to Snowtail, joining the white she-cat by the medicine den.

"Where to first?" she asked, holding herself as steady as she could. After nearly two moons with Shadefrost, she wasn't sure how to adjust to another mentor no matter how well she could gauge her Clanmates. Flamefur must have considered that with this assignment, because Stormpaw had barely interacted with Snowtail.

"Follow and stay quiet," was all the white warrior said, flicking her tail once before diving through the camp entrance.

Stormpaw followed, remembering her first day with Shadefrost and how her mentor had disappeared to let her try tracking. Snowtail, though fast, wasn't nearly as fast as Shadefrost and Stormpaw kept up easily. They slowed to a stop on the edge of the pines, where the cherry grove was mixed with dogwoods.

"You are fast," Snowtail observed, sitting neatly. Stormpaw copied her, keeping her posture tall and straight. After a few moments of silence, Snowtail laughed.

"Easy, Stormpaw, I'm still your Clanmate, and I'm not so harsh a judge that I'll dock you if you relax," she purred. "Flamefur gave you to me to see how you'd do with someone other than Shadefrost. The other 'paws are able to chat with any warrior and work with whoever, but you stick to the same cats so often that Leafspring asked Flamefur to make sure you were pulled away from those cats."

"Who are those cats?" Stormpaw asked, flicking an ear.

"Shadefrost, Foxpaw, Owlpaw, Redpaw, Frostfang, Wolftail, and your siblings," Snowtail rattled off. "You barely even talk to your parents."

Stormpaw shrugged, ears flattening slightly. She didn't avoid her Clanmates, she just didn't seek them out - she spoke to whoever she was near, and that was usually her mentor or other apprentices.

"You'll hunt first," Snowtail told her. "Hunt wherever you like, but be here at sunhigh."

Stormpaw nodded, whisking into the woods silently.

 _Is it bad that I don't talk to my other Clanmates?_ she wondered, pausing to sniff the air near the ThunderClan border. _I'm just so tired at the end of the day, it's hard to talk once I'm in camp. I talk to cats on patrols, though._

She dropped into a crouch, catching a mouse easily. Carrying it with her, she hid it under a bush, rubbing her tail against it to leave her scent marker.

By sunhigh, she had caught a squirrel, a vole, and two more mice. Part of her felt proud, but she knew that prey was running better since it was newleaf. Snowtail was still impressed by her catches, though, so she let herself have her pride.

"The fighting assessment will be a little different than what you're used to," Snowtail said, pacing slightly. "I know Shadefrost likes to surprise you, but this is just a simple fight. You pin me, you win. I pin you, I win. Got it?"

Stormpaw nodded, making her head and tail level with her back. Snowtail moved first, lunging for her left side. Stormpaw ducked into a crouch, darting behind Snowtail and turning on her heels to score her paw down her side, catching the warrior's tail in her jaws. She spat it out instead of biting, ducking her head as Snowtail turned with a swipe aimed at her ears. She flattened her ears and surged upward, wrapping her legs around Snowtail's neck and slamming into her, using her weight and momentum to make the older cat stumble. As she did, Snowtail latched her legs around Stormpaw's middle and made her roll with her, pinning her easily.

Stormpaw growled, tail flicking.

"Don't feel too bad," Snowtail told her, letting her get up. "You've been in training for not even two moons, and I've been a warrior a nearly a whole season cycle."

Stormpaw flicked her tail again, scratching a paw on the ground. "I'm not a fan of losing, is all."

"Few cats are," Snowtail purred, touching Stormpaw's ear with her tail tip. "You hunted well, though. Let's get this prey back to camp, you can take the rest of today off."

Stormpaw purred, trotting alongside Snowtail with her mice and vole hanging from her jaw by their tails. Halfway to camp, she looked at Snowtail and asked, "Hey, are Icefoot and Eaglefeather going to have kits?"

Snowtail blinked. "Why do you ask?" she said in response, her words muffled by the squirrel tail in her jaw.

"They're always together, is all," Stormpaw mewed. She paused and set the prey down.

"They probably are," Snowtail conceded, dropping the squirrel. Wiping stray hairs from her tongue with a paw, she continued, "We could use more kits, honestly. Swiftstep's litter are nearly ready to be apprenticed."

Stormpaw twitched an ear. "Who do you think would be their mentors?"

Snowtail hummed, flicking her tail as she considered it. "Duskstorm or Dawncloud, maybe Flamefur for Firekit. Actually, Dawncloud would probably be better for Blackkit. Frostfang or I might be picked for Whitekit. White fur is hard to hide, so Palestar usually tries to get white cats to mentor white cats."

Stormpaw nodded, picking up the squirrel when Snowtail sighed at it.

"Was it that obvious I don't like fur in my mouth?" the warrior purred, picking up the rest of the prey.

Stormpaw nodded, purring. "Thistlepaw's the same way," she said around the squirrel. "Sootpaw and Sagepaw usually groom him because he'll refuse to do it himself."

* * *

The two of them were the first pair back. While the other mentors looked surprised, Shadefrost had a smug, prideful expression when she saw them and the prey they carried.

"You're getting better at squirrels," she told Stormpaw, looking at the catch. "Neater kills."

"It helps that I'm getting better at climbing," Stormpaw pointed out, flicking her tail when Shadefrost flicked her ear with her own tail.

"Since Snowtail's your mentor for today, you'll do what she tells you to," Shadefrost mewed. "Has she given you anything to do?"

"She said I can take the day off," she replied, stretching. "I'm going to take the elders some food and see if they need anything."

Shadefrost purred, touching her nose to Stormpaw's ear. "Good cat," she praised her. "Go on, take care of the elders, then."

Stormpaw picked up her squirrel and vole and trotted to the elders den, finding Dustfoot and Cloverfur bickering quietly.

"Stormpaw!" Dustfoot purred. "It's been a while. And you brought us food, how kind!"

"Fresh from the forest," she purred, setting them down proudly. "Caught them myself."

"And you remembered our favorites," Cloverfur mewed gratefully, licking her ear.

"Share this squirrel with me," Dustfoot said, patting the ground beside him. "They're meant for two cats."

"Thank you," she replied. "I can check you for ticks and fleas, or bring you new bedding if you need, though."

Dustfoot waved his tail. "First we eat, then we do everything else, my mentor always said." Stormpaw purred, settling down beside him.

After eating her share, she sat up. "Hey, Dustfoot, Cloverfur? Why do you think they're changing the training now? Is it just because of the prophecy?"

"Medicine cats panic easily," Dustfoot grunted, spitting out a sliver of bone. "It's more for their comfort than anything. Making the Clan stronger is just a bonus."

"You know that isn't true, Dustfoot," Cloverfur scolded him. "Ivyleaf and Wolftail haven't panicked in moons."

"They panicked when Sorrelheart was kitting," he grunted.

"Because it was a large litter and she's not a young warrior anymore," she reminded him. "Not to mention it was already freezing with snow and a storm was coming."

Stormpaw blinked. "A storm was coming when we were born?"

The elders nodded. "There was thunder right as you came out," Dustfoot mewed. "Some cats thought it was an omen, but Wolftail thought it was thunder."

"Maybe it was an omen," Cloverfur hummed, scraping the moss of her nest into a crack in the log.

"Not you, too," Dustfoot groaned.

Cloverfur flicked her tail. "You don't think it was odd? Thunder in a blizzard, when the last kit of a large litter was born, a kit who was then named _Storm_ kit?"

Stormpaw shuddered, remembering her nightmares and dreams as clearly as she remembered fighting Snowtail or hunting the squirrel.

"Coincidence, nothing more," Dustfoot snapped, pulling himself up to sit and draping his tail over Stormpaw's shoulders. "The weather can't be understood, and reading into it for signs will drive you mad, nothing more."

"You're forgetting that it's part of the medicine cats' duties to interpret signs from StarClan," Cloverfur growled.

"Who ever said that StarClan is in charge of the weather?" Dustfoot growled back. "The prophecy could just be something Ivyleaf imagined."

Stormpaw flicked her tail, trying to keep her fur flat. Cloverfur's gaze softened when she noticed.

"Oh, Stormpaw, don't worry," she soothed. "We didn't mean to scare you."

"It won't be about you, even if it is real," Dustfoot told her, wrapping his tail tightly around hers. "You'll be a great warrior, don't get me wrong, but the responsibility it put forth lies with whole Clan, not a single cat."

Stormpaw shivered. "Wouldn't some say it's the job of the leader and deputy?" she asked, looking between the two elders.

"Only a fool would expect two cats to carry the weight of thirty," Cloverfur said, shaking her head.

"Leafspring and Palestar lead us, yes," Dustfoot explained, "but they have the senior warriors, the elders, the medicine cats to help them make decisions. They tell the Clan the decisions that have been made, but they rarely make them on their own."

"Why can't StarClan make sense?" Stormpaw muttered, her head and ears drooping.

Cloverfur sighed, limping over and pressing her nose to Stormpaw's forehead. "No one knows, my dear. But if they made sense, life wouldn't be as hard, now, would it?"

"I don't get why it _has_ to be hard, though," she grumbled, leaning into the queen's touch.

Dustfoot laughed. "Because we wouldn't learn if it was easy! If mice leapt into your paws, you wouldn't need to know how to hunt. If your enemy rolled over in front of you, you wouldn't need to know how to fight. There are reasons for everything, young one, even if they seem pointless."

Stormpaw flicked an ear, straightening. "But what if the prophecy _is_ about me? What then?"

"Then you have the Clan to help you fulfill it," Cloverfur told her firmly. "Your Clan is your family, Stormpaw. None of us walk alone."

She nuzzled Stormpaw, the apprentice purring and pushing her head under her chin before pulling back and hopping to her feet.

"I'll get mouse bile for your ticks," she said, bounding out of the den and across camp.

"There's no rush!" Cloverfur called after her.

"Speak for yourself!" she heard Dustfoot bark from across camp. "I have one right under my ear that's been driving me mad!"

 _None of us walk alone._ She mulled over Cloverfur's words, unbothered by the mouse bile stench. _The opposite of Feathertail's words. But who do I listen to? The cat I've known forever, or the cat who's watched the Clans for longer than she was alive?_

When she re-entered the elders den, where Cloverfur was telling the kits a story while Dustfoot scratched an ear, her heart answered for her.

 _The cat you've know forever, of course_ , it told her. _How silly could you be, thinking to pick anything else?_

* * *

The apprentices and day-mentors trickled back slowly, first Sagepaw and Badgerpelt, then Owlpaw and Kitetail. Stormpaw watched with the elders from outside the log, noting with twitching whiskers that Kitetail's fur was ruffled and his tail was flicking.

"I think Owlpaw may have put up a good fight in her assessment," she mewed, flicking her tail to where the tortie was sauntering across camp with her plumy tail held high.

"Dedicates herself to fighting, your sister does," Dustfoot grunted. "Where you excel with hunting, she does with fighting."

"Just make sure you don't slack off in other areas," Cloverfur mumbled, dozing off. "A good warrior is either skilled in one over the other or equally good at both. A great warrior keeps all their skills as sharp as their claws."

"Snowtail beat me, but I expected it," Stormpaw admitted. "I did my best, though."

"We don't doubt it," Cloverfur purred.

Dustfoot looked over her once, grunting, "Your mentor's smart, making you run and build up endurance. You're smaller than others, not by a lot, but enough that your muscle and weight won't match your enemy's. Keep low to the ground, though, and use your speed, and you'll be a deadly opponent."

Stormpaw purred at his confidence in her, bumping her head into his shoulder. Owlpaw joined them, flopping onto the ground in front of Stormpaw.

" _How_ do you manage to run with Shadefrost every day?" she asked, her tail flicking once before dropping to the ground limply. "Kitetail made me run from the river to the Thunderpath and I thought my lungs would burst before I was halfway theree!"

Stormpaw laughed. "Shadefrost started small and built up from there. We ran from camp to the river or the apple tree before even trying to run across the entire territory."

Owlpaw groaned, rolling onto her back. "How'd you do in your assessments? I beat Kitetail in the fight, but I only caught two mice and a vole."

"Snowtail beat me in the fight," Stormpaw mewed, "but I caught three mice, a vole, and a squirrel."

Owlpaw stared at her, her tail tip twitching from side to side. "Help me with hunting," she said flatly. "I can't get squirrels, _ever_. I'll help you with fighting."

"I'll let Shadefrost train me in fighting," she purred, laughing, "but I'll help you hunt, sure. Shouldn't you ask Hawkfeather, though? He is your mentor."

"Hawkfeather has trouble with squirrels, too," Owlpaw grunted. "But he could help you with fighting - ooh, ooh! What if we suggested to Flamefur that we all traded mentors with each other? Like we did today, but with the usual mentors instead of warriors."

"That's not a bad idea, actually," Sagepaw interjected, joining them. "Also, your brother fell in the river and Graystream had to fish him out."

They blinked at her.

"Redpaw?"

"Thistlepaw?"

" _Badgerpelt_ ," Sagepaw said, looking between the two of them. "I was training with him today, remember? He's giving his report right now?" She flicked her tail to where the black and white tom was talking to Grayfur, Palestar, and Leafspring.

"Hey, we have a lot of brothers," Stormpaw defended herself. "And Thistlepaw isn't exactly the most graceful cat."

"Thistlepaw won't go within a fox-length of the river," Sagepaw pointed out bluntly. "Redpaw would be more likely, since he likes to go right to the edge and watch for fish."

Stormpaw looked at Owlpaw. "How long do you think it'll be before he falls in?"

"Let's not bet on that," Owlpaw said, narrowing her eyes as she thought, an ear flicking. "He'll do it at some point, and I hope there'll be a RiverClan patrol nearby, else he'll be fish food."

"Graystream said swimming is just like running," Sagepaw mewed. "The difference is that your paws don't have a grip on the ground."

"So you're flailing like an idiot," Owlpaw mewed.

Sagepaw shrugged. "Cinderpaw told me something about propelling last time I talked to her. All I know is that no amount of mice in the world could get me to try swimming."

The camp entrance rustled, Redpaw and Frostfang returning with their fur covered in dirt and pine needles.

"What _happened_?" Leafspring asked, staring at them.

Frostfang stood stiffly, his tail flicking. "He's a jokester," he said flatly, blinking once. "And a surprisingly good fighter."

Redpaw, his jaw full of prey, blinked happily, his tail tip flicking back and forth.

"Redpaw, did you do your tree trick?" Owlpaw called over. At her brother's purr, she sighed, shaking her head.

"You'd think he was ThunderClan, the way he drops out of the trees," she muttered.

"Sorry, what was that?" Redpaw asked, joining them after depositing his prey on the pile. "Dropping out of trees, you said?"

"Are we sure you didn't get changed with a ThunderClan kit?" Owlpaw asked. "Or maybe a SkyClan cat, either one would explain why you like to climb trees and drop onto cats from the branches."

"I'm ShadowClan through and through," he said, grooming the tree litter from his pelt. "I just adopt tactics that work. If they come from another Clan, so be it."

Owlpaw merely flicked her tail, laying her head on her paws and going to sleep. While Redpaw and Sagepaw talked, Stormpaw bid the elders farewell and climbed one of the stones, watching the camp.

Sorrelheart and Flamefur were talking to Shadefrost, Russettail, Bluefoot, and Grayfur. Badgerpelt, having finished his report, had found his littermates with Hawkfeather, talking to them quietly. Frostfang was giving his report to Palestar, Leafspring, and Brightflower. He kept shooting occasional glares at Snowtail and Icefoot, who were poorly stifling their laughter. The only cats still gone were Thistlepaw, Sootpaw, Foxpaw, Rosefur, Brindlestorm, and Eaglefeather.

Sootpaw and Brindlestorm came back next, not looking anywhere near as disheveled as Redpaw and Frostfang or Kitetail and Owlpaw had. Sootpaw's response to Redpaw's question of how it went was a simple shrug.

Thistlepaw and Eaglefeather came back in the middle of an argument, their pelts bristling.

"Woah, woah, woah." Leafspring shoved in between the toms. "What's going on here?"

Eaglefeather growled, "He did as well as Cloudpelt told me he would, but he's cocky and letting it go to his head."

"If I'm good-"

"Being good isn't everything, Thistlepaw!" Eaglefeather snapped. "If you don't have compassion or humility, your skills mean nothing!"

Lashing his tail, Thistlepaw stalked away, joining Sagepaw and Sootpaw under the apprentice den. Leafspring watched him before turning back to Eaglefeather, whispering to him hurriedly with his tail flicking rapidly.

By sunset, Foxpaw and Rosefur still hadn't returned. The Clan was getting antsy - Russettail and Flamefur were pacing in the middle of camp, Sagepaw was sitting rigidly under the apprentice den, Wolftail kept glancing at the entrance. Even Shadefrost and Palestar, for all they maintained cool facades, were beginning to whisper with Sorrelheart and Cloudpelt.

"Where are they?" Owlpaw whispered to Stormpaw, joining her on the stone.

"I don't know," she mumbled, tail tip twitching. "It's not like Foxpaw or Rosefur to be late."

Redpaw joined them, squishing Stormpaw between him and Owlpaw. "Do you think something happened to them?" he asked. "Badgerpelt fell in the river, Sagepaw said. Do you think one of them fell in the river, too?"

Stormpaw shook her head. "I doubt it. Foxpaw doesn't like being close enough to the river to have even the chance of getting wet, and Rosefur is too smart to get that close to the river."

"But what if one of them did fall in?" he fretted.

"Neither of them fell in, Redpaw," Stormpaw snapped. "Even if they did, RiverClan usually has cats all up and down the river to fish out anyone who slips."

Redpaw flattened his ears. "I didn't...I wasn't trying to scare you, Stormpaw," he whispered. "I'm just worried about them. I didn't mean-"

"I'm sorry." She cut him off, pressing her nose to his ear. "I know you're just worried, we all are. It's not like either of them to be late, and Foxpaw is usually back in camp not long after I am, and always before sunset."

As she spoke, the two cats finally came back.

"Rosefur! Foxpaw!"

They were both staggering and covered in blood, Rosefur leaning on Foxpaw for support.

"What happened?" Russettail asked, bounding forward.

"ThunderClan," Rosefur panted. "Foxpaw was hunting and one of them came out of nowhere, yowling that we were trespassing. Two more came out and all three started attacking Foxpaw. We barely got away, they chased us from the sycamore trees to the pines."

Stormpaw leapt off the stone, racing over to Foxpaw and sniffing him.

"You need medicine, both of you," she said, looking from Leafspring to Wolftail. Wolftail nodded, whisking into the medicine den.

"I'm fine," Foxpaw grunted, limping a few steps forward and stumbling.

"He fought like a warrior," Rosefur said as Stormpaw guided Foxpaw to the medicine den. "He held his own as well as any warrior could." She nodded to Leafspring and Palestar, limping after the two apprentices. Palestar watched Foxpaw for a moment, tail flicking, before turning to Russettail and Leafspring.

"ThunderClan fights dirty," Foxpaw growled, laying down so Stormpaw could groom his fur. "They cross the border, say _we're_ trespassing, and start a fight three against one."

Stormpaw grimaced at his wounds, gently lapping at the score of claw marks down his side to clean them. "At least you got away," she murmured, her tail flicking. "You could have been seriously hurt."

"I feel like I was," he mumbled, laying his head down. "One of them bit my tail - my _tail_ , Stormpaw! Who does that?"

"Warriors without honor," Wolftail growled, dropping a clump of herbs beside Foxpaw's head. "Eat those poppy seeds while I put marigold on your wound. You'll have to sleep here, I don't want to risk you making this worse by jumping in or out of the apprentice den."

Foxpaw nodded, licking up the poppy seeds. Wolftail chewed the flower he had brought and spat it onto Foxpaw's scratches and bites, frowning at the wound on his side.

"Good job cleaning this," he told Stormpaw. "Wounds this big are prone to infection. The cleaner they're kept, the faster they heal."

"What herb is that?" she asked, nodding to the flowers.

"Marigold," he replied, standing. "It's good for typical scratches, but this wound needs horsetail. It's stronger, better for big wounds. Wait here with him, and if I missed any wounds, chew up these leaves and spit the pulp onto them."

She nodded, finding Foxpaw's remaining scratches and covering them in marigold pulp.

"S'ormpaw?" Foxpaw slurred his word, looking at her blearily.

"Shh," she whispered, licking his cheek. "Go to sleep. Wolftail is just getting more herbs."

"Don' care 'bout tha'," he murmured. "S'ay 'ith me? 'Ou're 'arm."

She narrowed her eyes, taking a moment to decipher his words and blinking when she understood.

"Oh, sure, of course," she mewed. "I'll be right here if you need me."

Foxpaw purred, finally falling asleep. Wolftail gave Stormpaw an odd look when she told him Foxpaw's request, but shrugged.

"Just don't do anything stupid," he said, putting the last bit of horsetail over Foxpaw's wound. "And call for me or Ivyleaf if anything happens, okay?"

"I will," she promised, curling up beside Foxpaw and being careful not to brush against any of his wounds. "Thanks, Wolftail."

"It's my pleasure." He licked her ear, going back to the medicine den.

Stormpaw looked up, noting that it was long past moonhigh when she finally drifted off.


	12. Chapter 12

After the dawn patrol returned the next day, the Clan was milling about camp, waiting for the senior warriors to finish meeting with Leafspring, Palestar, Ivyleaf, and Wolftail about ThunderClan. The apprentices, gathered under the dogwood, were whispering in hushed tones. Foxpaw kept kneading the ground with his claws, his tail flicking. His wounds had scabbed overnight and would take a few more days to heal fully.

"I'll tear their pelts off and line my nest with it," he snarled. "Maggot-ridden mouse-hearts!"

"You won't do anything until you're healed," Sagepaw dismissed him, her tail twitching.

"Here they come!" Owlpaw chirped, waving her tail to the war council. Shadefrost, at the head of the group, swept her gaze over the camp.

"Why are none of you patrolling?" she growled, pelt bristling.

"Calm down, Shadefrost," Sorrelheart mewed. "They're waiting to hear Palestar."

Shadefrost huffed, sitting on the edge of the clearing. Stormpaw padded over and joined her, sitting neatly with her tail around her paws. Palestar leapt onto the Cliffedge, flicking her tail once.

"We will strike back against ThunderClan," she announced, "at dusk tonight. There'll be two patrols, one in the trees and one on the ground. Leafspring and I will lead the ground patrol, with Sorrelheart, Brightflower, Shadefrost, Badgerpelt, Frostfang, Redpaw, and Stormpaw. Russettail will lead the second with Grayfur, Bluefoot, Flamefur, Duskstorm, Cloudpelt, Snowtail, Sagepaw, Sootpaw, and Thistlepaw. The rest of you will stay here to defend camp and make up the day patrols."

Stormpaw could see Owlpaw and Foxpaw looking indignant at being left at camp, but Foxpaw was hurt, and Owlpaw's mentor had links to ThunderClan.

"Owlpaw should be allowed to go," Hawkfeather said. "I understand why Eaglefeather and I weren't chosen, but she's as capable as her littermates."

Palestar twitched an ear. "Without her mentor to watch out for her-"

"I can keep an eye on her," Badgerpelt offered.

Frostfang lifted his tail. "I can, too."

Palestar flicked her tail. "She's your responsibility, as an apprentice is to their mentor, then. We leave when the sun clears the treeline!"

* * *

Until dusk, the apprentices paced around camp, their pelts quivering with excitement.

"Our first real battle!" Sootpaw was bouncing on his toes, watching Sagepaw and Thistlepaw play-fight.

"I can't _wait_ to get ThunderClan fur under my claws," Owlpaw growled, waggling her haunches.

"They won't even _think_ about trespassing when we're done with them!" Redpaw proclaimed.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves," Dawncloud advised, breaking Thistlepaw and Sagepaw apart with a paw. "ThunderClan has capable warriors, and you need to have each others' backs more than you need to spill their blood."

"Owlpaw, Stormpaw, and I always watch out for each other!" Redpaw said.

"And ThunderClan won't expect a patrol in the trees," Sagepaw mewed, voice low.

Dawncloud sighed, rasping her tongue over her siblings' ears. "One day you'll know," she murmured, touching her tail tip to Stormpaw's shoulder. "Eat something, even if it's just a mouse. You don't want to fight on an empty stomach."

She padded over to Rosefur, leaving the apprentices to clamor with each other. Owlpaw tossed a vole to Stormpaw's feet. "You heard her," she purred, picking up a mouse for herself.

Stormpaw flicked Owlpaw's nose with her tail, tucking into the vole as Foxpaw came over and collapsed beside her.

"Make sure to give Beechtail a good clawing for me," he growled. "He was the one who got my side."

"He'll get a scar he won't forget," Stormpaw promised, licking his cheek.

* * *

The patrols left camp and split off from each other when the pines gave way to shrubbery, Russettail's patrol launching themselves into the trees and following their Clanmates from above. Dusk fell and darkened the forest, Stormpaw and Shadefrost blending into the shadows. On ThunderClan's side of the border, Bramblewhisker was leading a patrol with Mosspaw, Morningcloud, Dovepelt, Sandpaw, and Beechtail.

"Palestar," he greeted her, blinking in surprise, "good evening."

Palestar flicked her tail. "Is it?" she asked him in a low growl.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, twitching his tail tip twice, his cats falling behind him. Stormpaw spotted Dovepelt flick Sandpaw with her tail.

"Your warriors crossed the border and attacked two of my cats, Bramblewhisker," Palestar growled.

"That's a very serious accusation," the ThunderClan tom snarled, the fur on his neck rising.

Behind Palestar, Leafspring swept his tail low to the ground, the patrol fanning out. Stormpaw found herself flanked by Redpaw and Owlpaw, growling lowly to them, "I'll get Beechtail."

Owlpaw merely growled, digging her claws into the ground. "We'll double up on him."

"You know it's true," Palestar snarled at Bramblewhisker. "Rosefur and Foxpaw came back injured and our patrols found ThunderClan scent on our territory."

"And what do you expect to be done about it?" Bramblewhisker snapped. "My warriors told me your apprentices were trespassing and had to be driven off. Are you telling me they're liars? You expect me to believe you over my own Clanmates?"

Palestar growled, stepping forward until she was nose to nose with Bramblewhisker. "You know what your cats have done."

When Bramblewhisker snarled, she lunged, bowling him over into the undergrowth. Immediately, every cat had an opponent, Stormpaw and Owlpaw attacking Beechtail. He tried to focus on one only to have the other take him by surprise.

"Stay in the woods, mouse-heart!" Owlpaw snarled, scoring her claws down his flank.

Stormpaw clawed his muzzle, stepping back when he reeled back, turning on his heels and fleeing.

"Sandpaw, get to camp and get help!" Dovepelt yowled to her apprentice, lunging at Stormpaw and Owlpaw. In a flash, Sorrelheart intercepted her, the two she-cats rolling toward the undergrowth. Mosspaw took her place, swiping at Stormpaw's ears. Snarling, Stormpaw ducked and bit her foreleg. Mosspaw yelped and pulled her leg away, launching herself onto Stormpaw in the same movement and bowling her over.

"Get off of her!" Owlpaw snarled, jumping onto Mosspaw's back and scratching her haunches with her hind paws. Stormpaw slid out from under her, regaining her footing and swiping at Mosspaw's chest.

Mosspaw shook Owlpaw off, biting one of Stormpaw's ears. Gasping, she clawed Mosspaw, digging deep into the she-cat's shoulder. Mosspaw released her ear and backpedaled, her tail lashing.

"Stay off our territory!" Owlpaw spat, her fur bushed out so far she looked twice as big.

"Try and make us, pine-rat," Mosspaw growled, whirling and diving into the undergrowth.

"ThunderClan, to me!"

A fresh wave of warriors joined the battle, their battle cries turning into terrified screeches as Russettail's patrol dropped from the trees. Duskstorm and Snowtail landed behind Stormpaw and Owlpaw, snarling at the pair of ThunderClan toms that skidded to a stop in front of them. The apprentices slid behind them, letting the warriors fight.

"I'm going to be tasting ThunderClan for a moon," Owlpaw muttered, scanning the area and plunging back in to knock Morningcloud away from Sootpaw.

"You shouldn't have come here!" Stormpaw whirled around to see a large gray tom a tail-length away from her. She froze, terrified, as he stepped closer and lunged.

A flash of calico fur passed in front of her, Sorrelheart knocking into the tom and rearing up to claw at his ears.

"Only a coward attacks a lone apprentice!" she snarled. "Especially one half his size!"

The tom snarled and lunged again, this time locking his jaws around Sorrelheart's neck and shaking her violently.

"No!" Stormpaw screeched, jumping forward. He dropped Sorrelheart, looking at her coldly as she darted forward to nose her mother.

"Stormpaw," Sorrelheart breathed, blood bubbling in her throat and mouth, "get back, get to safety."

"No, you'll be okay," Stormpaw whimpered, nosing her ear and grabbing her scruff, dragging her a few steps before stumbling.

"Don't bother," Sorrelheart whispered, breaking into coughs. More blood bubbled in her throat and mouth as her eyes went dark, her flanks stilling.

"No," Stormpaw whispered, stepping back. She looked at the gray tom. "No!"

"She was trespassing, she was a threat," the tom snarled. "She deserved it."

"Warriors don't kill unless they have to!" Stormpaw cried. "You're no better than a rogue!"

Thistlepaw and Redpaw, fighting Elderpaw and Nightpaw, looked over.

"Mama!" Thistlepaw gasped.

"No!" Redpaw screeched over the din of the battle, kicking Nightpaw as he bounded to Stormpaw, sniffing Sorrelheart. He whimpered, "No," and buried his nose in her fur, quaking where he stood. Thistlepaw lowered his paw from the swipe he was about to hit Elderpaw with, walking over stiffly.

"Mama?" he whispered, nudging her. "Mama, get up, you have to get to camp."

"She's dead, kit," the gray tom snarled.

Stormpaw, blinking rapidly, launched herself at him. He batted her away with a paw, sending her tumbling.

The rest of the patrols broke apart, staring at the fallen warrior and heartbroken apprentices. Stormpaw tried to launch herself at him again, managing to claw his cheek before he pushed her down and pinned her with a paw.

"Give up," he spat. "You've lost."

She growled and swiped at him, blood spurting out of his nose. Before he could retaliate, Leafspring shoved him off of Stormpaw, his tail lashing as he snarled.

"This battle is over," Bramblewhisker growled. "Take your fallen and go."

Palestar glared at him. "ShadowClan won't forgive this, Bramblewhisker."

He met her gaze evenly. "Oh, I don't doubt it," he replied. Waving his tail once, he and his Clan plunged through the undergrowth to their territory, leaving the ShadowClan cats alone on the border.

Owlpaw stumbled over, leaning on Sootpaw and whimpering when she saw Sorrelheart. Stormpaw hadn't stood but rolled over, pressing her nose to her mother's. She didn't respond to her littermates' touching their tails and noses to her bleeding ear and merely curled into a ball when Shadefrost picked her up by her scruff, carrying her back to camp with the rest of the patrol.

"Did you win?" Dawncloud yowled when they re-entered camp. When Russettail laid Sorrelheart in the center of camp, the Clan fell silent. Ivyleaf rushed over, but Wolftail stayed beside Rosefur, lowering his head with flattened ears.

Shadefrost set Stormpaw down under the dogwood tree, watching her carefully. After a few long moments, she began grooming the blood from Stormpaw's fur, steady laps that left her fur clean quickly.

"You're allowed to grieve," Shadefrost murmured, tearing up marigold leaves with her claws before smearing the pulp on Stormpaw's ear and scratches. "But do it with the others, where you aren't alone."

"Why did it have to be her?" she whispered, looking at Shadefrost, sorrow filling her blue eyes. "Of all cats, why her?"

"Because Gooseclaw has little honor and no sympathy for other cats," her mentor mewed, resting her tail on Stormpaw's shoulders. "It was bad luck you ended up facing him and not - well, and not any other warrior in ThunderClan."

Stormpaw lowered her head, flicking her tail once before standing padding slowly to her siblings. She ended up between Duskstorm and Wolftail, her brother licking her uninjured ear in way of greeting.

"It wasn't your fault," Duskstorm whispered, her voice hoarse. "Gooseclaw shouldn't be called a warrior, the way he acts."

Stormpaw merely laid down, pushing her nose into Sorrelheart's fur. ' _I'll make you proud, I promise.'_

Throughout the vigil, she didn't respond to anyone beyond leaning into Foxpaw when he sat beside her, letting him press his flank against hers.

* * *

When the sun rose, Grayfur, Russettail, Badgerpelt, and Wolftail carried Sorrelheart out of camp, leaving the scent of lavender and mint behind to thinly veil the scent of death and blood. Stormpaw retreated to the apprentice den with her littermates, wishing the battle was nothing more than another nightmare.


	13. Chapter 13

The day after the battle, Palestar gave Sagepaw and Foxpaw their warrior names, Sagefang and Foxstep. A few days later, Swiftstep's kits were made apprentices, Firepaw to Flamefur, Blackpaw to Badgerpelt, and Whitepaw to Frostfang, and Icefoot moved to the nursery expecting Eaglefeather's kits.

Life went on, but Stormpaw couldn't find it in herself to participate as actively as she had before the battle.

"There's no cure for grief, you know," Shadefrost told her one day, looking at the meager catches her apprentice had made. "We have to accept it and move on."  
Stormpaw lashed her tail, knowing better than to argue. Shadefrost mewed gently, "I miss her, too, but the best we can do is honor her by being the best warriors we can."

"I know," she grumbled, scratching the ground with a paw. Looking at her turnout for the day - a mouse and a vole - she sighed. "Can we keep hunting?"

Shadefrost agreed, relieved that her apprentice was at least trying.

* * *

Shadefrost leapt onto the Cliffedge carrying a squirrel, dropping it in front of Palestar.

"Prey for your thoughts," she said simply, flopping down beside her.

"Funny," Palestar replied, biting into the squirrel. "Did Stormpaw catch this?"

Shadefrost nodded. "She's starting to move forward, I think."

"Thank StarClan," Palestar sighed. "I was starting to worry. Her siblings all recovered faster, but she was stuck."

"She's very introspective," Shadefrost commented. "She dwells longer than she should, sometimes."

"Reminds me of someone else I know," Palestar hummed.

"Don't you dare," the black warrior growled.

"I have no idea what you could possibly mean."

"Her name should not have frost anywhere in it."

"Oh, never," Palestar laughed. "Maybe fang or whisker, but there are moons to decide."

In comfortable silence, they watched the Clan mill about as the sun set. The cats were all broken into small groups, eating dinner and chatting quietly. Leafspring and Dawncloud were napping on one of the standing stones, their tails twined together. Under the dogwood, Rosefur and Brindlestorm were watching Frostfang and Wolftail bicker with each other. Stormpaw had joined Foxstep, Redpaw, and Owlpaw under the apprentice den, leaning into her friend as her littermates play-fought.

"Were we ever so young?" Palestar wondered aloud.

Shadefrost purred, laughing. "Never. We were warriors as soon as we left the nursery."

Palestar chuckled, licking the last scraps of squirrel from her whiskers. "It's not the same without Sorrelheart here," she murmured.

"No, it isn't," Shadefrost agreed. Sitting up, she scanned the camp, flicking her tail. "Where's Hawkfeather?"

Palestar blinked, counting the cats before going to the warriors den and looking inside. "He's not in here," she mewed, leaping back onto the Cliffedge.

"Are you looking for someone?" Firepaw yowled to Palestar and Shadefrost.

"Hawkfeather," Palestar called back. "Has anyone seen him?"

"Last I saw him he was by the SkyClan border," Snowtail supplied. "He had Owlpaw train with Frostfang today."

"Should we send a patrol out?" Rosefur asked.

"He's probably just hunting," Duskstorm mewed.

"Stormpaw and I can look for him," Shadefrost volunteered, leaping into the center of camp. "If we don't find him, we'll organise patrols."

"Be quick," Palestar mewed. Shadefrost nodded, flicking her tail to Stormpaw and leading her out of camp.

* * *

The two ShadowClan cats stopped running on the edge of the meadow, Stormpaw panting slightly.

"We would have scented him, wouldn't we?" she asked Shadefrost. "And he would have heard us calling."

"He would have," Shadefrost confirmed. "What can you smell?"

Stormpaw opened her mouth, wrinkling her nose at the acrid smell of the Thunderpath. "Just the Thunderpath, here."

Shadefrost flicked her tail, pressing her nose to the ground. Stormpaw scanned the field, trotting the SkyClan border.

"Hey, he was over here!"

Shadefrost joined her, frowning when she picked up Hawkfeather's scent. It led into a tunnel under the Thunderpath, toward the Twolegplace in the distance.

"Should we follow it?" Stormpaw asked, shuffling her feet.

"Might as well." Shadefrost sighed, leading the way. Stormpaw followed her close enough to feel Shadefrost's tail against her whiskers, uncomfortable with how the tunnel made her breathing echo.

She gasped when they came out the other end - there were bright lights hanging from thin silver trees, like miniature suns.

"Is this Twolegplace?" she asked, looking at Shadefrost.

"Unfortunately," Shadefrost sniffed. "Can you find his scent?"

Stormpaw found it, flicking her tail toward an alley. "He went that way."

Shadefrost flicked her tail, leading the apprentice down the alley and following their Clanmate's scent.

"Keep your posture dominant," she whispered to Stormpaw. "Twolegplace cats aren't all kittypets. There are loners and rogues who wouldn't hesitate to hurt you."

Stormpaw nodded, lifting her head and keeping her ears forward, her tail hooked low to the ground.

"Mama, look, forest cats!" A kitten was above them, on a weird mesh platform.

"Come back here, Oliver!" The mother, a cream and brown she-cat, peered at them through the mesh. "What are you doing here, so far from the forest?"  
"We're looking for our Clanmate," Shadefrost told her. "Maybe you've seen him - golden brown tabby tom, grumpy, smells like pine sap?"

"Oh, him." She sniffed, flicking her tail to a platform of mesh below hers. "He'll be with Cinnamon, third one up."

Shadefrost looked at the steps for a few moments before bunching her muscles and launching herself onto the platform.

"Nice," the queen said. To Stormpaw, she flicked her tail at the steps. "They won't break underneath you, nor will the landing."

Stormpaw did as she said, letting Shadefrost touch the clear sheet that the queen told them was a window. It swung open when she pushed it, an opening into the Twoleg den.

"Good luck," the queen called, herding her son back inside.

Shadefrost leaned into the den, looking around before yowling, "Hawkfeather!"

Something shattered and fell in the den, Hawkfeather skidding across the floor of the den before leaping to join them.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, pelt bristling.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Shadefrost hissed back. "Why are you in a Twoleg den?!"

Hawkfeather opened and closed his mouth a few times before dropping his head and turning, flicking his tail for them to follow. He led them to a small room within the den, where a cinnamon tabby was curled in an odd nest.

"It's a long story, but Cinnamon had my kits a few nights ago," Hawkfeather explained, touching his nose to Cinnamon's.

Stormpaw leaned forward, gasping when she saw the litter of kits. "Oh, they're beautiful!"

Cinnamon purred.

Shadefrost looked at Hawkfeather. "How did you find out?"

He shuffled his feet awkwardly. "I, uh… I usually visit about once a quarter moon, when I can. I knew she was expecting and when she was due, so…"

Shadefrost growled, cuffing his ears with a sheathed paw. "First Cloverfur, now you," she grumbled. "StarClan knows what the other Clans will think."

"They'll gossip and move on, most likely," Cinnamon mused, licking one of her kits when it mewled at her. "That's what most cats do."

Stormpaw blinked, looking at the older cats. "You're talking like we're bringing them back with us."

Cinnamon looked between Hawkfeather and Shadefrost for a moment before mewing, "I know you had a rough winter, and don't want extra mouths to feed, but we can grow your numbers and I learn fast."

"It's not a soft life like the one you're used to," Shadefrost warned. "We lose cats to illness, starvation, battles-"

"I know," Cinnamon said, sitting up. "Hawkfeather told me about Clan life - the hardships and the honor. I want to join."

"You can try to discourage her," Hawkfeather said, "but it won't work. I'd know, I've spent moons trying."

"Won't your Twolegs miss you?" Stormpaw asked her.

"Oh, they will," Cinnamon said. "But they'll move on and find a new housecat eventually. It's boring here. Even if it's dangerous, I want to go with you."

Shadefrost rubbed an eye with a paw. "Fine. Okay. Every cat carry a kit."

"Perfect!" Cinnamon purred. "Let's go, then!"

Hawkfeather looked at Shadefrost, who shrugged and picked up one of the kits. "Move fast," she said around them, whipping around and leading them back to the platform.

The queen from before was still sitting outside, watching for them. When she saw what they were holding, she mewed, "Oh, Cinnamon, you're not serious, are you?"

"You know I am, Lily," Cinnamon told her.

"I won't join you, but I'll keep you in mind," the queen sighed. "Take care, then."

They lifted their tails to her in acknowledgement, following the scent trail Stormpaw and Shadefrost had left back to the forest. When they reached the tunnel, Cinnamon was panting.

"Do we need to stop?" Shadefrost asked, setting down her kit on the grass.

"No, I'm fine." Cinnamon shook herself out. "It's just been a while since I've been outside."

Shadefrost said nothing, simply picking up the kit and leading the way to camp. Stormpaw stayed close to her mentor, letting Hawkfeather walk beside his mate.

"Did you find him?" Owlpaw's yowl came as soon as they got to the camp.

"They found kits!" Whitepaw cried.

"Not exactly," Shadefrost said, setting down her two kits. "Hawkfeather was with his mate, who just had his kits a few days ago and wants to join the Clan."

"How many kits did she have?" Rosefur asked incredulously, watching Stormpaw gather them together.

"Four," Hawkfeather sighed. "I _tried_ to convince her otherwise, I did, but-"

"I'm stubborn," Cinnamon announced, shrugging.

Palestar padded over, looking over Cinnamon and the kits.

"You were a kittypet, weren't you?" she asked.

"Yes, but Hawkfeather has told me the good and bad of Clan life, and I'm willing to learn and help."

Palestar looked at Shadefrost, who shrugged. "Alright. We're too small as it is, anyway. But you'll have to take Clan names, and someone will have to train you."

Cinnamon nodded, trying to keep her composure, but Stormpaw could tell she was quivering excitedly. Palestar and Shadefrost padded away, leaving Hawkfeather and Cinnamon with each other. Stormpaw led her to the nursery, settling the kits into one of the nests.

"They're so distinct," Stormpaw mewed, looking at them. "Have you thought of names?"

Cinnamon rested her tail around the kits, twitching an ear. "Not yet," she sighed. "How would you describe their colors? I only know the housecat terms."

Stormpaw blinked. "Well, that one's a golden brown tabby, and that one's a tabby tortoiseshell," she mewed, pointing with her tail to two of them. "That one would be a pale ginger tabby, and the last one is red tabby."

Cinnamon hummed. "The she-kits you're right about - she's a golden tabby and she's a caliby. The first tom is a cinnamon smoke tabby, though, and the other is a cinnamon tabby, as housecats put it."

"Housecats have fancy names for things," Stormpaw observed, nudging the torbie to her mother. "You don't have to name them right now, but you should make sure they don't share their name with another Clanmate."

Cinnamon twitched an ear. "I think the smoke tabby can be Maple, and his brother can be Ember. Oh, you put kit on the end of their names, don't you?"

Stormpaw nodded, flicking an ear at Hawkfeather when he came in. "They'd be Maplekit and Emberkit."

"Are we naming them?" Hawkfeather asked, nuzzling his mate and kits. "Which ones are Maplekit and Emberkit?"

"Your sons," Stormpaw informed him. "Do you have ideas for your daughters?"

Hawkfeather purred. "How about Amberkit for the golden tabby and Applekit for her sister?"

"Oh, those are perfect!" Cinnamon purred.

Stormpaw ducked out of the den, padding to the fresh-kill pile and picking up a mouse.

"Where are you going with that?" Kitetail growled at her.

"The nursery?" she said, tilting her head. "Cinnamon has kits, she needs to eat."

"Kittypets don't belong in Clans," he spat.

"That's enough, Kitetail," Leafspring snapped. "Palestar had the final say and her decision has been made. Be welcoming to your new Clanmates or take it up with her."

Kitetail merely flicked his tail, stalking to the warriors den. Stormpaw nodded to the deputy and give Cinnamon the mouse, going into her own den and collapsing in her nest only to be accosted by Firepaw, Whitepaw, and Owlpaw.

"You went into Twolegplace!" Firepaw gushed, bouncing on her toes. "What was it like?"

"Weird," Stormpaw mumbled. "Can I sleep now?"

"Do the kits have names yet?" Whitepaw asked.

"Amberkit, Emberkit, Maplekit, and Applekit. Can I sleep?"

"Back away, let her rest," Owlpaw purred, shooing the younger apprentices away. "We'll meet the kits in the morning, anyway."

Grumbling, they went back to their own nests. Stormpaw, once she was sure they were asleep, snuck out of camp through the dirtplace and ran to the river, reveling in the silence of the forest.

"Moonhigh stroll?" someone called to her from across the river. Looking up, she saw a pale blue-gray she-cat standing on the shore. "Try not to slip. You never know what's lying in the depths of the river."

Stormpaw blinked, confused, and the cat disappeared. Shaking her head, she turned from the river, hunting as she made her way back to camp.

"Went for a stroll?" Shadefrost was waiting when she got back to camp, a shadow in the middle of the moonlit camp.

"Hunting," she replied, dropping her mice and voles on the fresh-kill pile.

"Nothing like having the forest to yourself," Shadefrost mused, tipping her muzzle up to look at the sky. Stormpaw sat beside her, looking at the stars.

"Do you think she's up there, watching us?" Stormpaw whispered.

"Without a doubt she is," Shadefrost replied. "I know it."

The stars and moon, distant and cold, moved across the sky until the sun rose, its light driving them away.

* * *

 **Leader:** Palestar - pale tabby she-cat

 **Deputy:** Leafspring - light brown tabby tom

 **Medicine Cat:** Ivyleaf - fluffy white she-cat

Apprentice, Wolftail - dark gray tom

 **Warriors:**

Shadefrost - elegant black she-cat

Apprentice, Stormpaw

Russettail - white-pointed ginger tabby tom

Brightflower - ginger and white she-cat

Apprentice, Redpaw

Flamefur - bright ginger tabby she-cat

Apprentice, Firepaw

Bluefoot - blue-gray she-cat

Apprentice, Sootpaw

Grayfur - blue-gray tom

Swiftstep - black and white she-cat

Kitetail - black and white tom

Duskstorm - dusty ginger she-cat

Dawncloud - pale ginger she-cat

Badgerpelt - long-furred black and white tom

Apprentice, Blackpaw

Cloudpelt - gray and white tom

Apprentice, Thistlepaw

Brindlestorm - dilute calico she-cat

Rosefur - pale ginger she-cat

Hawkfeather - golden brown tabby tom

Apprentice, Owlpaw

Eaglefeather - golden brown tabby tom

Snowtail - white she-cat

Frostfang - white tom

Apprentice, Whitepaw

Sagefang - pale gray she-cat

Foxstep - ginger tabby tom

 **Apprentices:**

Redpaw - white pointed, dark ginger tom with darker tabby stripes

Owlpaw - pretty, long-furred brown, ginger, and cream tortoiseshell with white points

Sootpaw - dark gray tom

Thistlepaw - white pointed dark gray tom

Stormpaw - small, long-furred blue gray she-cat

Firepaw - bright ginger tabby she-cat

Blackpaw - black tom

Whitepaw - white she-cat

 **Queens:**

Icefoot - white she-cat (expecting Eaglefeather's kits)

Cinnamon - cinnamon tabby she-cat, former kittypet (Emberkit - cinnamon tabby tom, Maplekit - cinnamon smoke tom, Amberkit - golden brown tabby she-kit, and Applekit - cinnamon and white tabby tortoiseshell)

 **Elders:**

Dustfoot - ancient pale brown tom

Cloverfur - golden brown tabby she-cat, has a permanently injured hind leg

* * *

 **One of the kits was nearly called Sorrelkit. I'm not very good with author's notes, but please leave reviews and tell me what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

A moon passed with little excitement. Cinnamon was renamed Poppystripe and eventually accepted by the Clan, learning how to hunt and fight from Snowtail and Sagefang. Doted upon by the Clan, her kits had no idea they were born in a Twoleg den and not the nursery. The other Clans, however, were scornful when they heard about her.

"You let a _kittypet_ into your Clan?!" a WindClan warrior yowled at Palestar when she announced Poppystripe's arrival with her kits. Poppystripe, sitting with Hawkfeather, ignored the tom and kept her eyes fixed on Palestar as though he had never spoken.

"ShadowClan welcomes anyone who wants to live by the warrior code," the leader had growled. Below her, a snort sounded.

"I can't imagine a worse way to disrespect the warrior code," Gooseclaw scoffed. "Is she your attempt to replace your lost warriors?"

Palestar fixed him with a cold stare. "Lost friends can _never_ be replaced," she snapped, tail flicking. "And a true disrespect to the warrior code is killing another warrior without need, Gooseclaw."

He narrowed his eyes. "As is accusing a Clan of a crime for an excuse to maul their warriors," he spat back.

"As is trespassing on another Clan's territory!" Palestar snarled.

Though the fight with ThunderClan had been addressed in the previous Gathering, both Clans held a grudge and neither would admit fault. While ThunderClan hadn't suffered any casualties, their warriors bore the scars of wounds ShadowClan had left.

Lightstar, between Cherrystar and Reedstar, didn't say anything. Though his warriors had contention with ShadowClan, the leader himself tried to advise peace and cooperation when the issue was brought up at the last Gathering. Now, though, he was getting weaker as his age was catching up with him. He had barely been able to climb onto the boulder, needing Reedstar to pull him up by his scruff the last few Gatherings. He had tried to sit at the foot, but Reedstar and Harestar had insisted that the Gathering wouldn't begin until he was in his rightful place on the boulder with the other leaders. Everyone knew the whole forest would mourn when he passed, no matter their Clan.

Cherrystar pushed her way in front of Palestar, breaking the stare-off she and Gooseclaw were engaged in. "We're all happy to hear about new Clanmates," she mewed to Palestar, "but surviving in late newleaf is different than surviving in leaf-bare. Some concern is natural."

Palestar flicked her tail. "ShadowClan can take care of itself," she said. "We don't need the other Clans to worry about us."

The Gathering ended much earlier than usual, tensions still high between ShadowClan and ThunderClan. Stormpaw could only nod to Mosspaw - Moss-storm, now - as she left, not at all eager for a conversation. The warrior bore a scar on her shoulder from Stormpaw clawing her, and the guilt she felt when she saw it wouldn't dissipate no matter how much time passed.

A few days after the Gathering, Stormpaw was patrolling RiverClan with Shadefrost, Duskstorm, and Snowtail when she saw Bramblewhisker and Lionheart approaching them.

"ThunderClan ahead," she whispered to her mentor, falling to the back of the patrol. Shadefrost, narrowing her eyes, raised herself to her full height as the two got closer.

"Bramblewhisker, Lionheart," she greeted them. "Care to explain what you're doing so deep in ShadowClan territory?"

"Lightstar passed away early this morning," Bramblewhisker mewed sorrowfully. "We're headed to the Moonstone."

Snowtail gasped and even Duskstorm looked shocked.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Shadefrost replied, dipping her head. Her voice was low, grief seeping into her tone. "He was a fine leader. Our hearts go out to your Clan."

"Thank you," Lionheart rasped, the old she-cat looking tired. "We'd best be on our way, though."

Shadefrost stepped to the side. "StarClan guide you," she said as farewell, leading her patrol back to camp.

"I wonder who his deputy will be," Snowtail wondered aloud, padding beside Stormpaw.

"Probably Dovepelt or Willowwhisker," Duskstorm mewed.

"So long as it isn't Gooseclaw," Stormpaw mumbled, her tail flicking.

"Whoever he chooses will have a lot of responsibility," Shadefrost put in, psuhing through the entrance. "Deputies have a lot of weight on their shoulders. Palestar! We have news!"

The leader left the nursery, looking annoyed. "What is it?" she asked, her tail flicking.

"Lightstar has joined StarClan," Shadefrost informed her. "Bramblewhisker is ThunderClan's leader now."

"You're kidding!" Firepaw called from the elders den.

"Who's his deputy?" Rosefur asked, her tail flicking.

Shadefrost shrugged. "We met him and Lionheart on their way to the Moonstone. I didn't think to ask who he had picked for deputy."

"We'll probably find out from the next ThunderClan patrol," Leafspring said, pinned to the ground by Poppystripe's kits.

Maplekit tumbled off Leafspring, bounding over to the patrol. "Shadefrost! Shadefrost, can I go into the forest with you and Stormpaw, please?"

"You know kits have to stay in camp, Maplekit," Shadefrost mewed, watching him as he wound around her paws.

"But there's so much more outside than in camp!" he cried, jumping to grab at her tail.

"There's plenty in camp for you to do," Stormpaw mewed, plucking him off Shadefrost's tail tip. Her mentor blinked at her gratefully, lifting her tail out of reach of any kits. "Have you tried asking the medicine cats if you can help them?"

He blinked at her, green eyes curious. "Wolftail and Ivyleaf? They need help?"

"Everyone needs help sometimes," Stormpaw told him. "If you offer, they may give you something to do."

He gasped and turned to bound toward the hollow tree, his tail high above his back. Shadefrost twitched her whiskers, looking at Stormpaw. "Clever," she said, touching her tail tip to Stormpaw's shoulder.

"Shadefrost!" Hawkfeather padded toward the pair, Owlpaw beside him. "Join us for battle training?"

"That's a great idea," Shadefrost replied. "Owlpaw and Stormpaw can spar."

Owlpaw brightened as Stormpaw mock-wailed, "She's going to crush me!"

Owlpaw purred, bumping her sister's shoulder. "We can hunt together tomorrow and you'll crush me then, that sound fair?"

"Oh, alright," she laughed, flicking Owlpaw's ear with her tail. "Lead on."

Icefoot bounded over as best she could, Poppystripe beside her. "Can you take Poppystripe with you?" she asked. "Eaglefeather doesn't want to leave me alone, but she could do with learning how to fight."

"Of course," Shadefrost mewed. "Poppystripe, do you know who's going to watch the kits?"

"Maplekit is in the medicine den and the others are bugging Leafspring," she replied, flicking her tail toward each place in turn. "They're safe in camp, I know."

Shadefrost nodded, her tail kinked high over her back. "Let's get moving, then."

* * *

When they arrived, Thistlepaw and Cloudpelt were already in the training hollow, working on a badger defense.

"Cloudpelt! Want to join us?" Hawkfeather yowled, startling the warrior enough for Thistlepaw to knock him over.

"Are you trying to scare off half the prey in the forest, Hawkfeather?" Cloudpelt growled, kicking Thistlepaw off of him. The apprentice tumbled in the dust, getting up and shaking his pelt out like nothing had happened.

"Are we battle training?" Thistlepaw asked, eyes bright. "Can we spar?"

"Yes, we're sparring," Shadefrost told him.

"Can I fight Stormpaw?" he asked, tail waving. "I never fight her!"

Hawkfeather touched his tail tip to Thistlepaw's shoulder. "Another time. Poppystripe is joining us, and I don't want her fighting Owlpaw just yet, so you'll be practicing with her."

Thistlepaw's tail drooped momentarily. "Alright," he mewed, shaking himself again before turning to the queen. "We can practice over here, the moss is softer than the dust to land on."

Poppystripe purred, following him. "I appreciate the thought," she mewed. Cloudpelt padded after them, ready to oversee the session. Shadefrost and Hawkfeather led Stormpaw and Owlpaw to either side of the dusty clearing, whispering instructions.

"Owlpaw is bigger and heavier than you," Shadefrost murmured, "so her attacks tend to be more straightforward. She'll expect you to take advantage of your smaller size and weave around her, so stay light on your toes and try to make direct hits. Jumping over her or going under are key, as are making what hits you can in those moments. What are the easiest parts of a cat to attack?"

"The tail and ears are vulnerable because they stick out," Stormpaw recited under her breath, loud enough only for Shadefrost, "the sides of a flank are large and easy to hit, but the belly bleeds the most when cut."

"And what do few cats expect?"

"Bites to the legs or having their legs swept out from under them." She flicked her tail. "Tucking in my tail will affect my balance but give them less to grab. Flattening my ears can impair my hearing but protects them from claws. Keeping myself low to the ground protects my belly and throat."

"Good," Shadefrost breathed, taking a small step to the side. She straightened while Stormpaw stayed crouched. "Keep your breathing even and keep your head clear as you fight. Emotions cloud, instincts can mislead. Your mind is the strongest defense you have."

She nodded, watching as Hawkfeather backed away from Owlpaw. Her sister was in a similar crouch, though her tail was extended low to the ground and her ears were shoved forward.

"No claws and no deep bites!" Hawkfeather reminded them, padding away to sit in the grass with Shadefrost. The two apprentices padded forward until they were only a few fox-lengths from each other.

Shadefrost flicked her tail. "Begin!"

Owlpaw leapt, paws outstretched to aim for Stormpaw's head. Crouching low, she darted forward, twisting and batting Owlpaw out of the air. As her sister fell, she jumped away and turned on her paws. Owlpaw recovered quickly, rolling and lunging at Stormpaw. She slammed her shoulder into Stormpaw's chest, knocking the wind from her. Sucking in a panicked breath, Stormpaw swiped at Owlpaw's legs, knocking her forepaws out from under her. Owlpaw growled and pushed forward, pinning Stormpaw on her back and planting her paws firmly - a forepaw on the ground beside Stormpaw's shoulder, the other on her chest, a hind paw on her belly, the last on the ground beside her haunches.

"Owlpaw wins!" Hawkfeather proclaimed.

Gritting her teeth, Stormpaw surged upward, kicking her forepaws into Owlpaw's chest and rolling up into a sitting position. Launching herself forward with her hind paws, she landed by Owlpaw's hind legs, batting at them a few times with a sheathed paw. As her sister turned to swipe at her ears, she ducked and darted under her. Keeping her ears flat and her tail tucked under her, she bit Owlpaw's tail lightly, keeping her weight on her toes before jumping onto her back. Owlpaw snarled, whipping around tipping to one side, catching Stormpaw underneath her.

Stormpaw shoved her off with her hind paws, pulling herself into a crouch and swiping at Owlpaw's chest. Owlpaw lunged and headbutted the shoulder of Stormpaw's lifted foot, knocking her to the ground and planting her paws firmly on Stormpaw's side.

"I win!" Owlpaw proclaimed, eyes glinting.

Stormpaw growled, tail flicking for a moment before sighing. "Yeah, you win. I put up a good fight, though, right?"

Owlpaw purred, nosing her sister fondly. "Of course you did."

"You both did well," Shadefrost praised them, padding over with Hawkfeather. "You used your strengths to your advantage and kept your opponent's clear weaknesses in mind."

Stormpaw sat up, shaking the dust out of her fur to listen with Owlpaw.

"Owlpaw, you used your greater strength to make direct attacks. Stormpaw, you kept yourself light and agile to account for your lesser strength," Shadefrost mewed. She looked at Hawkfeather and waited for him to nod before continuing, "Owlpaw, you need to work on agility and speed. You're strong, but you're heavy on your paws and it slows you down. Work on keeping your weight on your toes. And try out what Stormpaw did with her ears and tail; it takes some adjustment, but the fewer places your enemy can land a blow, the fewer injuries you'll end up with."

Owlpaw nodded, wrapping her tail around her paws and glancing at it. Lifting a paw, she prodded Stormpaw's shoulder.

"Don't bite as hard next time, sharp-teeth," she mewed lightly, lifting her tail. "There are blood spots, look!"

Stormpaw leaned forward, seeing the red flecks crusting her Owlpaw's white fur. "I'm sorry!" she mewed, leaning back. "I thought I was biting lightly!"

"You _were_ is the thing," Owlpaw replied, licking her fur clean. "You just have weirdly sharp teeth, it takes no pressure for you to break skin."

Stormpaw pulled her ears back, lifting her gums to show off her teeth. Hawkfeather peered at them, mewing, "That's ridiculous!"

Shadefrost raised an eyebrow at Owlpaw and Hawkfeather. "They're _teeth_ ," she said flatly. "They're _supposed_ to be sharp. If you drink water after you finish eating, you won't get fur and prey stuck in them."

They both looked at her in awe, making her sigh and shake her head. She turned to Stormpaw, who straightened, snapping to attention.

"Stormpaw, you can do to put more power in your strikes," she said. "You have your agility down to accommodate for your size, but you need to account for your lack of weight and build up your confidence. You were hesitant and tentative, and while that's acceptable and expected in training with a Clanmate, it could be a fatal mistake in battle. Building up your muscle will help, as will increased battle training."

She nodded, flicking her tail. Thistlepaw, Poppystripe, and Cloudpelt padded over, the other apprentice butting his head against Stormpaw's shoulder.

"You did better than I thought you would," he whispered, sitting beside her. "I thought she'd have you pinned in one move."

"I'd never go down that quickly," she told him, flicking his shoulder with her tail. "Not without a good fight."

He purred, letting his tail fall next to hers. "I get to spar with you next time," he insisted, yellow eyes bright. "I'm not as good as Owlpaw, but I bet I'm better than you."

She growled playfully, "Bring it on." Her eyes flashed with determination, reflecting her brother's expression.

"Challenge each other to battles later," Cloudpelt sighed. "Now, you're going to hunt. Catch as much as you can by dusk and then return to camp. Try not to interfere with any patrols and avoid the ThunderClan border."

"You weren't in camp when we told everyone," Stormpaw mewed. "Lightstar passed away this morning, Bramblewhisker and Lionheart are at the Moonstone now."

"You're kidding!" Thistlepaw gasped. "I could have sworn Harestar would go first."

Cloudpelt cuffed his ear lightly. "Guessing which leader is going to pass next isn't something you should do, Thistlepaw," he told him firmly. "As Clan cats, we hope every cat lives and serves their Clan for as long as possible."

"I know, but the whole forest knows that Harestar and Lightstar have the fewest lives left!" he argued. "Reedstar is older than Harestar, but he has more of his lives left."

"How do you know how many lives the other leaders have?" Cloudpelt asked.

Thistlepaw blinked. "Rushpaw heard from Emberpaw and told me at the last Gathering about Reedstar," he mewed. "And everyone knows WindClan stays small for a reason, Harestar may not be the oldest but her Clan goes through the most trouble. It just makes sense."

Cloudpelt shook his head, sighing. "You should learn what to keep to yourself and what to share, Thistlepaw. Don't go telling the other Clans about ShadowClan business, understand?"

"Oh, I wouldn't," he assured his mentor. "But the more we know about other Clans, the better. Besides, Applepaw told me that the other Clans know as much about ShadowClan as they do, which is what we share at Gatherings and what they can glean from passing patrols. We're the best kept secret in the forest."

Cloudpelt still looked exasperated while the others were amused, twitching their whiskers.

"Go hunt," Poppystripe told the apprentices. "We'll be in camp when you arrive."

"Hey, who are the mentors here?" Hawkfeather challenged her.

"Take control first and you can hand out orders," Poppystripe purred, nosing his cheek. "They need to get moving, it's past noon."

"Noon?"

"Sun-high."

"Ah, kittypet words."

Shadefrost nodded to the apprentices, pulling their attention from the bantering mates. "Go. We'll assess your catches at camp."

The three littermates charged out of the hollow, reaching the twisted sycamore that marked the halfway point of their territory before stopping.

"I'm going to hunt in the groves," Owlpaw told them. "I can get practice for squirrels there and pick up mice on the way back."

"I'm gonna try the field," Thistlepaw decided, "and the treeline. Leafspring said the rabbits were coming out of their burrows with babies, I want to test it out."

"Just make sure not to get scratched by the hares," Stormpaw advised. "I'm going to stay in the trees, between camp and the ThunderClan border. Good luck." Her littermates bid her the same as she plunged deeper into the trees, ready to start her hunt.

Pausing once it was quiet, she opened her jaws to scent the air. Badgerpelt and Blackpaw had passed through with Foxstep and Frostfang, though it was faint. A mouse in the distance, a squirrel and birds above her...there! A vole, close enough to catch.

Dropping into a crouch, she found the trail and followed it, spotting the vole scuffling the ground by the root of a pine. Keeping her paws silent, she made a quick kill of it, scratching dirt and needles over the catch to return to later. As she marked the tree with her tail, she opened her jaws again, spotting a nest in the branches above her. She crouched and took a measured leap, propelling herself up the tree with her front claws gripping the bark and sheathed hind paws pushing forward.

' _Perfect!'_ The nest had four eggs in it, speckled and shining. Picking up the nest carefully, she descended the tree and placed the vole beside the eggs. ' _The kits will love this._ '

A bird call sounded above her and she saw a woodpecker swooping toward her. Bunching her muscles, she leapt and grabbed it with her forepaws, biting it as she landed.

' _And the mama for the queens.'_

By the time the sun touched the mountain, she had caught another woodpecker, three mice, and two squirrels. ' _Prey's really running today,'_ she realized, carrying her final catch of a blackbird to the nest. The father woodpecker had shown up after she caught her squirrels, joining his family when he dove at Stormpaw. ' _Did I overdo it?'_

As she carried her nest through the woods - with some trouble, it was piled high and the prey didn't want to stay put - a high note resembling a cat's yowl sounded above her. She set the nest down to take a breath and spotted a mockingbird sitting in an ash with its back to her. Lowering herself to a crouch, she stepped forward slowly.

' _Just one more,'_ she thought, springing and catching the bird with unsheathed claws, knocking it from the branch to land with it. She raised her tail high, purring as she placed it with the others. With pride, she thought, ' _I'm like a hunting patrol all on my own!'_

Before she could pick up her nest, a moan sounded behind a tree. Tail flicking, she trotted over to it, gasping when she found the source.

"Icefoot!" she cried, bounding to the queen. "What are you doing out of camp?"

Icefoot was breathing heavily, her sides heaving. "I went for a walk and-" She broke off, hissing. Eyes dark, she whispered, "I think they're coming."

"What? No!" Stormpaw looked at Icefoot's belly. "They're not due for a half moon!"  
"A quarter moon," Icefoot corrected. "Stormpaw, I can't get back to camp."

"I'll get Wolftail-"

"No!" Icefoot cried. "No, don't leave me alone, Stormpaw, I'm scared!"

"Okay, okay, I won't!" She pressed her nose to Icefoot's ear. "I'll be right back, I promise, just hold on."

"Hurry!"

Practically flying through the forest, she found her nest of prey and grabbed the side, dragging it with her to Icefoot.

"Did you catch all that?" Icefoot asked, incredulous.

"Yeah," Stormpaw mewed, plucking out a mouse. "Shadefrost and Hawkfeather and Cloudpelt told Owlpaw, Thistlepaw, and I to hunt till dusk a little after sun-high. Eat this, you need to keep your strength up."

"It's just going to come back up," Icefoot lamented.

"Then I'll clean it away and have you eat another piece of prey," Stormpaw mewed firmly. "We don't have raspberry or borage to keep your strength up. Come on, eat it. I can tear it up if you want."

Icefoot shook her head, biting into the mouse and chewing it slowly. "It's still warm," she mumbled around it, eating slowly and wincing occasionally. Stormpaw could see her belly rippling, contractions starting to happen with more frequency.

Tentatively, she placed a paw on Icefoot's flank, feeling the kits moving around. "I...At the next contraction, start pushing," she murmured, leaning forward to put her ear against Icefoot's stomach. "I'll catch them and put them by your stomach when they come out."

Icefoot nodded, panting.

"How many are in there, do you know?" Stormpaw asked, pressing her paw down gently.

Icefoot hissed, managing to say through gritted teeth, "Two or three, Ivyleaf said. Oh, here they come!"

Icefoot yowled as she pushed, the first kit tumbling out in its kitting sac. Nipping it free, Stormpaw picked it up and placed it by Icefoot's belly, licking it dry. "A she-kit," she breathed. Resting her paw on Icefoot's flank, she urged her, "Come on, again! Two more!"

Icefoot yowled again, the second kit falling out and breaking its sac when it landed. Cleaning it and placing it with its sibling, Stormpaw praised Icefoot, "Another she-kit, well done! You're almost there, Icefoot, last one now."

Grunting and digging her claws into the ground, Icefoot snarled as she pushed out the last kit. Stormpaw gave it the same treatment as its siblings, purring as Icefoot relaxed and her kits started suckling.

"A tom," she told her, nosing the kits. "They're beautiful, Icefoot, look."

Icefoot looked at the kits, her purr breathy and weak. "Oh, they're perfect," she breathed. "Look, they look like Eaglefeather!"

Stormpaw nodded, licking the kits. "They look like you, too. He's different, though," she mewed, nudging the second she-kit back to her mother when she lifted her head.

The first she-kit, the largest of the litter, had Eaglefeather's golden tabby markings with her mother's white covering her lower half - white paws, white tail tip, underbelly, chest, up to her nose and a blaze up to her temple. The second was more mottled, golden tabby patches around her white fur like patches of grass under snow. The tom had the same white as his eldest sister, but instead of golden tabby, he was dark gray, the fur over his eyes so dark it looked black.

"He looks like my father," Icefoot breathed, wrapping her tail around the kits. "His name was Stonethroat, he passed away the leaf-fall before you were born."

"He's beautiful," Stormpaw whispered, her tail tip flicking despite being wrapped tightly around her paws.

They were quiet for a while, Stormpaw looking up and around to keep guard. As the sun sank halfway behind the mountain, she sighed.

"We need to get them back to camp," she mewed. "I can run to camp and come back with Eaglefeather and Leafspring."

Icefoot shook her head frantically. "No, don't leave me alone," she cried. "There are owls at night, I don't want to lose one of them."

Stormpaw shuffled her paws, looking around worriedly. The forest was darkening and the hooting of owls was beginning to echo through the pines. Something rustled behind her, setting her on edge.

"Stormpaw?" She turned to see Bramblewhisker and Lionheart. "And Icefoot?"

"And kits!" Lionheart gasped, darting forward to sniff them. She sighed after a few moments, relieved. "They're healthy, thank StarClan. What were you doing, being outside of your camp so close to kitting?"

"I just needed a walk," Icefoot mumbled, her tail flicking.

"Why are you here?" Stormpaw asked, tail twitching. "Why aren't you in ThunderClan?"

"We thought it best to greet ShadowClan on our way back," Bramblewhisker mewed. "So I could introduce myself as leader."

Stormpaw blinked. "You're Bramblestar now?"

He nodded and she dipped her head. "May StarClan guide you." Looking at the kits again, she asked, "Would you help us carry the kits and this prey back to our camp? They are your kin, after all."

Bramblestar brightened, padding forward to look at them. He purred, "They're beautiful. I can see you and Eaglefeather both in them - and Stonethroat."

"Lionheart, Stormpaw, and I can carry the kits," Icefoot panted, struggling to her paws. "If you could carry the prey, Bramblestar?"

He dipped his head. "It would be my pleasure."

Stormpaw picked up the tomkit, leading them slowly to camp. When she cleared the entrance, the camp was in pandemonium, but Shadefrost spotted her and blinked.

"That does not look like prey," she observed as Stormpaw padded to her, placing the tom by her feet.

"Icefoot was in the forest and started kitting," she mewed, turning to nod to the other three cats. "Bramblestar and Lionheart found us and agreed to help us carry them back." She realized that the camp was quieting as Icefoot and Lionheart joined them with the two she-kits, Leafspring and Hawkfeather trying to calm down Eaglefeather. Bramblestar set the nest down by the fresh-kill pile while Icefoot stopped beside Shadefrost, panting.

"Your apprentice," she puffed, "is one of the best cats in the Clan. She helped me with the kitting, without herbs or a medicine cat."

Stormpaw touched her nose to Icefoot's gently. "I did what any Clanmate would do," she mewed. "Nothing more."

"You saved me and my kits," Icefoot told her. "I'll be forever grateful."

Shadefrost rested her tail across Stormpaw's shoulders. "She'll be one of our finest warriors," she mewed, eyes glowing with pride. "Now get to the nursery, you need rest."

Eaglefeather raced over, fussing over his mate and kits. Stormpaw stayed with Shadefrost while the mates and ThunderClan medicine cat took the kits to the nursery, watching Bramblestar approach Palestar and Leafspring.

Shadefrost licked Stormpaw between the ears, pressing her nose to her temple. "You're growing to be a fine young cat," she murmured, flicking one of her ears with her tail. "Did you catch all the prey in that nest?"

Stormpaw nodded. "I gave Icefoot a mouse. The nest has eggs in it, the kits - the _older_ kits will enjoy them."

Shadefrost trotted over, nosing through the prey. "You did wonderfully," she praised Stormpaw. "Few cats can catch mockingbirds."

Stormpaw purred, bursting with pride. "The woodpeckers were the ones who made the nest," she mewed. "They didn't like me taking it. The blackbird was a lucky find."

"They're all fine catches," Shadefrost assured her, examining them. "Clean kills that will feed your Clanmates."

"I'm going to give Poppystripe and Icefoot the woodpeckers," Stormpaw mewed, pawing the prey out of the nest and into the pile. "And the kits the eggs."

"I'll give the mockingbird to the elders," Shadefrost said, picking it up. "They'll appreciate such a fine catch."

Stormpaw felt like she was glowing as she took the nest - now only eggs and woodpeckers - to the nursery, her tail hooked high over her back.

"Stormpaw!" Icefoot purred, finally in her nest with her kits suckling. "Oh, and you brought us prey!"

Stormpaw nodded, setting the nest down. "I found eggs on my hunt and thought the older kits would enjoy them," she said, placing a woodpecker between Icefoot and Eaglefeather.

The kits clamored as she gave Poppystripe the other woodpecker, eager to try an egg.

"Let her breathe, kits," Poppystripe sighed, settling in her own nest.

As Stormpaw showed them how to get into the eggs, one for each kit, and taught them to lap at the clear liquid and save the rich yolks, Eaglefeather and Icefoot were discussing names. Hawkfeather, Cloverfur, and Leafspring had piled into the nursery, Leafspring shuffling to the side to let Bramblestar look at his ShadowClan grandkits.

"What have you come up with?" Cloverfur asked in a purr, flicking Bramblestar with her tail.

"The bigger she-kit is Sunkit," Icefoot mewed, "and her sister is Honeykit."

Eaglefeather, chest puffed with pride, said, "We were hoping Stormpaw might name the tom."

"Oh, I couldn't!" she mewed, tail flicking.

"The kits wouldn't be here if not for you, Stormpaw," Icefoot told her firmly. "Please, name him?"

Stormpaw sighed. "Oh, alright." She padded forward, leaning to peer at the tom. His fur was so evenly gray and white she couldn't give him a name that preferred one over the other. Looking at the darker fur around his eyes, she purred, realizing the perfect name.

"Shrikekit," she determined, turning to his family. "He can be Shrikekit."

"Shrikekit, Sunkit, and Honeykit," Bramblestar mewed. "They're beautiful."

"What did Sparrowclaw name her kits, again?" Leafspring asked. "I know Falconheart's are Fawnpaw and Rosepaw."

"Doekit, Stagkit, and Wrenkit," he replied. "Doekit is a brown and white tabby, Stagkit is a brown tabby, and Wrenkit is a tortoiseshell tabby - brown and ginger and white." Pride shown in his eyes, his tail tip touching Cloverfur's. "Fawnpaw and Rosepaw are doing so well, Fawnpaw went to the Moonstone and was formally accepted at the last half-moon, and Rosepaw has already caught her first squirrel!"

Cloverfur purred. "Oh, you're all growing up so fast," she mewed, touching her nose to Eaglefeather's ear. "You have kits of your own and Hawkfeather's apprentice is so close to being a warrior." She sighed fondly, looking at Bramblestar. "The next generation is coming in."

He snorted. "StarClan, you're making me feel old and I have nine lives to lead."

"The forest needs us old cats," Leafspring mewed. "Otherwise the young ones wouldn't know what to do!"  
Stormpaw twitched her whiskers, lifting her tail up and down for Applekit and Amberkit to play with. Emberkit was sitting under Leafspring, his head tipped back to look at his great-uncle.

"I know what to do!" Maplekit chirped, bouncing away from Poppystripe and cutting his grooming short. "I want to be a medicine cat!"

"Do you now?" Hawkfeather asked, pulling his son to him with a paw. "I thought you wanted to be a warrior."

"That was before I helped Ivyleaf and Wolftail, Dad." Maplekit shook his father off, bounding to Stormpaw. "Stormpaw told me I should offer to help them and I did and they know _so much_! There are so many herbs to memorize, but every one of them can help a cat with something different!"

"They can," Stormpaw mewed, touching her nose to his ear. "But it takes a lot of studying and learning to be a full medicine cat. Wolftail didn't get his name until nearly three seasons after Rosefur."

"I'll wait as long as I have to!" Maplekit declared. "I'll study hard and be the best medicine cat ShadowClan has ever seen!"

"That's quite the ambition," Bramblestar purred. "But if you dedicate yourself, you'll be sure to reach your goal."

Maplekit glowed, his green eyes shining. Stormpaw stood, carefully pulling her tail from the kits' grip.

"I'd best get to my den," she mewed, edging her way around the cats and dipping her head to Bramblestar. "May you lead for many seasons, Bramblestar."

He dipped his head in return. "Thank you, Stormpaw. I hope I will."

Halfway through the entrance, she paused and turned. "Who did you pick for your deputy, if you don't mind me asking?"

Bramblestar blinked. "Willowwhisker," he replied. "I appointed her last night."

Stormpaw thought for a moment. "So Duskstorm was right," she said. At Bramblestar's confused look, she explained, "We were wondering who your deputy would be after we saw you earlier. She guessed Dovepelt or Willowwhisker."

Bramblestar looked shocked, making Cloverfur laugh. "We're observant, Bramblestar," she purred. "More so than the other Clans realize."

"Apparently," he breathed, shaking his head.

Stormpaw purred and left, spotting Foxstep dozing on one of the stone slabs.

"Room for me?" she asked, jumping to land lightly beside him.

"Of course," he mumbled, waking up. Reaching behind him, he dragged a squirrel between them. "And dinner for two."

She purred again, tucking into the prey. When all that remained were scraps of fur, she tipped her head back, looking at the stars. Foxstep watched her, laying his head on her paws.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"The prophecy," she murmured. "We're thriving, but will we survive the colder months?"

"Greenleaf and leaf-fall have yet to come," he told her, licking one of her ears. "We have time to adapt and prepare for whatever comes."

She kept her eyes on the stars, her tail still behind her as she lowered her head to lay atop Foxstep's. "I hope so," she whispered.

He simply twined his tail with hers, his breathing evening out the longer they laid on the stone. She didn't fall asleep but watched the camp throughout the night, from the pitch darkness of night to when the sky began to lighten and the stars started to fade. She saw Bramblestar and Lionheart depart, watched her Clanmates retreat to their dens and listened to their snores leak into the clearing as Brindlestorm kept watch from the stream. When the dawn patrol left - Brightflower, Bluefoot, and Frostfang with Redpaw and Sootpaw - she watched the last of the stars disappear as the sky went from black to navy to clear sky blue.

' _This is my home_ ,' she thought as the Clan started to wake up and begin their days. ' _I will defend it with my life._ '

* * *

 **Pretty much filler. It's a slow part of the story, is all. It'll pick up soon.**


	15. Chapter 15

As the days got hotter and greenleaf inched newleaf out of its way, ShadowClan was bustling more and more every day. Dawncloud had moved into the nursery expecting Leafspring's kits, causing the deputy to saunter around camp with pride whenever he could. The kits, now old enough to get into trouble, were always underfoot and starting to show their own personalities. Sunkit was proud and confident, following Amberkit and Emberkit around like she was their own littermate. Honeykit was quieter than her sister, enough so that few cats realized how mischievous she could be. She and Applekit would play pranks and mess around with cats who'd blame Amberkit and Sunkit, sure the boisterous kits were behind the ants in their bedding. Maplekit was usually padding after the medicine cats, intent on learning as much as he could to get ahead, so Shrikekit found solace with the elders and some of the older apprentices.

"They don't _want_ to play with me, Dustfoot!" he told the old tom one day, after the elder had asked him why he only wanted to listen to stories instead of run around with the other ktis. "They're too busy with Applekit and Amberkit and Emberkit."

"What about Maplekit?" Dustfoot grunted.

"Maplekit spends all his time with Wolftail and Ivyleaf," Shrikekit grumbled, flopping down in front of Dustfoot's nest. "He's busy _learning_ so he doesn't have _time_ to do _kit things_ like _play_!"

Stormpaw, who was checking Cloverfur for fleas and ticks, twitched her whiskers. She had a feeling those words came straight from Maplekit's mouth. The little tom had taken Bramblestar's advice about dedication to heart, becoming more serious when interacting with older cats. Around Stormpaw, though, he'd go back to kit behavior and prattle on about what he learned and bounce around her with as much energy as his littermates.

"Well, what about the apprentices?" Dustfoot asked. "They always have time for kits."

Shrikekit sat up, his stubby tail lashing and his kit fur sticking out. "The older apprentices are so close to their assessments we can't bother them," he grumbled. "That's what I heard Poppystripe say. And the others aren't as fun - Whitepaw is so quiet and serious and always thinking, and Firepaw is _too_ energetic it's just tiring, and Blackpaw is a grump, he just wants to lay around after patrols or training."

"We're not so busy you can't play with us," Stormpaw told him. "Our assessments are after this Gathering, yeah, but we're not busy preparing while we're in camp." She dabbed the mouse-bile-soaked moss on Cloverfur's last tick, tossing the clump of smelly moss out of the log to join the pile of old moss.

"You aren't?" Shrikekit asked, blinking at her as she sat beside him. "But when Poppystripe and Sagefang were talking, Poppystripe said you all must be close to your ceremonies, and Sagefang said you'd have assessments first, and Poppystripe said you'd be busier getting ready for them!"

Stormpaw purred, laughing. "Our mentors are making sure we know everything before they give us final assessments, is all. We've been training nearly six moons, we know most of what we need to. We just have to keep our skills sharp."

Shrikekit blinked, his face falling into a frown. "So you and Owlpaw and Redpaw can still play with me?"

"Of course!" she nosed his ear gently. "Just try not to wake up a sleeping apprentice and you'll be fine. Sootpaw and Thistlepaw will play with you, too, you know."

He wrinkled his nose, shaking his head. "Thistlepaw only likes battle games and I'm not big enough for those, and Sootpaw holds back because I'm just a kit."

Stormpaw rested her tail over his shoulders as Dustfoot barked out a laugh. "Any cat would be careful!" he proclaimed. "Kits are small and fragile, we full-grown cats have to be careful not to hurt you."

Shrikekit sighed. "I guess that makes sense," he conceded. "Now can you _please_ tell me a story?"

"Oh, all right." Dustfoot sighed, shifting out of his nest so Stormpaw could replace the moss. "Would you like to hear about the last Shadow Cat?"  
"The last what?" Shrikekit asked, shuffling his paws eagerly. Stormpaw pricked her ears, not having heard the story before.

"The last Shadow Cat," Dustfoot repeated. "Cats with fur so dark they blended into the night. You could only see their eyes, they were so dark - green or amber, deep and mesmerizing. Green eyes, the colors could from athe underside of an ivy leaf to blade of grass to a holly leaf to fresh moss. Their eyes held every shade of the pine forest, from the yellow-green needles to the darkest green. The amber eyes were a vibrant yellow, sometimes as pale as a fennel, sometimes darker like sunflowers or tansy. Some were the colors of honey, from the yellow-white of the honeycomb to the dark near-orange of the honey itself. Others had shades like tree sap, golden and shining like amber to brown and clear like maple way back to the pale yellow of pine sap. Amber eyes were like the sun, changing color from a piece of gorse to the sun at dusk or dawn."

Shrikekit was enraptured, falling into the old tom's story with ease. Stormpaw finished replacing his nest and sat beside the kit, wrapping her tail around him loosely.

"The Shadow Cats lived in the night," he began the story. "Blending into the shade cast by the pines, they were fearsome spectres to everyone else. When approached, they seemed to melt into the shadows, disappearing as easily as they could close their eyes.

"They had counterparts, though. The Day Dwellers." His voice went low, sending a shudder through both young cats. They knew this was how Dustfoot liked to introduce a villain and leaned in, eager to hear more.

"While Shadow Cats all had black fur, Day Dwellers were red. From the brightest ginger to the calmest cream, their pelts shown like the sun itself. The Day Leaders, though, weren't red but white - shining silver in the night and standing out stark under the sun, they organized the Day Dwellers into rogue-like attempts at Clans. They had little honor, not caring if they trespassed or hurt a cat. The only good thing they did was bring prey back for the cats who couldn't hunt, taking care of their own.

"Alongside the Shadow Cats and Day Dwellers were Twixt Travelers."

"Twixt?" Shrikekit asked.

"Between," Dustfoot explained. "The Travelers lived at dusk and dawn, when the sky belonged to both the sun and moon. The cats who didn't fit with the other two fell here - pelts of gray, silver, brown, tortoiseshell, and patched, these cats struggled, having mere hours every day to hunt and find a new place to sleep."

Settled into his fresh nest, Dustfoot spun his tale properly, the story playing out in front of Shrikekit and Stormpaw as though it were right in front of them.

"There were few rules of these cats. Shadow Cats stuck to the pines and marsh and mountains, hunting when the sun was gone and only the moon and stars could see them. Twixt Travelers could move about without fear at dusk and dawn, when the sun and moon could both watch over them. Day Dwellers lived in the light, under the blinding sun. Whether it rained or snowed or the sun shone, these rules applied to all.

"The Day Dwellers, though, were discontent with this. They wanted everyone to live together, under the White Cats' leadership. Though this seems well-intended, they wanted a hierarchy - the Day Dwellers would be above the Shadow Cats, who would be above the Twixt Travelers, who would be the lowest tier.

"The three groups were brought together under the half-moon to discuss their options, in a clearing between the territories. The leader of the White Cats, Shasta, led the meeting and spoke for the Day Dwellers, speaking from the lowest branch of an oak tree.

"'Red fur is a blessing from the Sun,' she told them all. 'Black fur is a gift from the night. White pelts are pulled from the stars, given by the heavens. Other pelts - brown, grey, mottled and patched - are from the land, ordinary and unable to be equal with us.'

"The Day Dwellers saw no problem with this, and though many Shadow Cats were uncomfortable with the idea of 'lesser' cats, they did not argue, for they were not in the lowest tier. However, Hellebore, a Shadow Cat not by birth but by choice, took issue.

"'What gives you the authority to decide this?' he demanded, joining Shasta in the oak tree. 'Who are you to declare cats lesser than you solely because their fur is a different color?'

"Shasta was not used to being challenged and didn't welcome it, especially from this Shadow Cat with judgement filling his amber eyes. The Day Dwellers, you should know, all had blue eyes, from pale leaf-bare-sky blue to the vibrant sky blue of a greenleaf sunhigh, from palest ice to darkest night, they were deep and mysterious, seeming to hold the secrets of the world in their depths, held down by swirling pools of knowledge and wisdom. Twixt Travelers, as their pelts were between two, so were their eyes. Browns and oranges, copper and the shades of green mixed with blue or yellow, their eyes were as various as their pelts. To the Day Dwellers, blue eyes came from the sky and those who ruled it. Green and amber came from the pines, fitting only within those trees, while mixed colors belonged to the earth.

"'I have the knowledge of those who came before us,' Shasta told Hellebore. 'Of the ones who first divided us by our colors. They set forth the hierarchy, and so it goes.'

"'That's inane, living like this just because it's all you know,' Hellebore told her, his voice rising with incredulity. 'Division do nothing but harm us. We should all live as one _without_ tiers of importance!' His voice rose and his eyes shone with determination and confidence, but Shasta turned her nose up at him.

"'I wouldn't expect _you_ to understand,' she sniffed at him, condescending and cold. 'You were a rogue before you came here.'

"From the crowd, a new voice rang out. 'That doesn't mean he's wrong!' it cried, and a beautiful tortoiseshell leapt onto the branch beside Hellebore. 'Origins matter not, the same as our pelts matter not,' she said, meeting Shasta's eyes without fear.

"Shasta snarled at her, 'And who are _you_ , Traveler, to challenge _me_?'

"'My name is Echeveria,' the tortoiseshell said. 'And I am one of the Travelers forced to suffer by _your_ rules, Shasta.'

"Shasta narrowed her gaze, appalled by Echeveria's disrespect. 'The rules are in place because those who rule deemed them necessary,' she defended herself.

"Echeveria didn't care, standing on the branch and yowling, 'Those who _rule_ were the white cats who laid the rules down in the first place! You claim to be blessed by the sun, you remain indifferent to the night, yet you scorn the earth you live upon! The land that feeds the prey you feed to your kits, the land that holds your dens and camps and protects you from the weather! The sun keeps you warm and the night lets you sleep, but they're distant and unforgiving. If anything, you should honor the land for all it's given you!'

"Such a notion was unheard of to the Day Dwellers and Shadow Cats, the idea that the sun and moon and stars were not who they should thank. The clearing broke out into a clamoring mass of panic until one more cat leapt into the tree, a giant red tom by the name of Lycoris.

"'Very few of us welcome change,' he said, voice booming over the clearing. 'So perhaps we should not pursue it but live as we are.'

"Shasta agreed with him, but Echeveria snarled again. 'We welcome change, but not unfair change that benefits only the few you deem worthy!' she snapped.

"Hellebore cut in before Shasta and Lycoris could argue with her. 'So we adjust to incorporate new cats into our camps,' he proposed. 'Regardless of their pelt. We can judge them on merit alone and everyone can earn their keep.'

"'That would never work!' Lycoris scoffed. Hellebore fixed him with a stern gaze, one that called for no nonsense.

"'Maybe not for the Day Dwellers, but the Shadow Cats can attempt it,' he said, flicking his tail with irritation. 'We will no longer confine ourselves to rules that detriment us - we will wake during the day and hunt in our territory as we please, _when_ we please, with _whoever_ we please. You can keep your rules in the woods - they no longer apply to the rest of us.'

"'You can't do that!' Shasta gasped, her eyes wide. 'It will upset those who rule!'

"'So let them be upset,' Echeveria said. 'We will live for ourselves, not for faceless cats we'll never meet.'

"'Then leave the forest,' Lycoris snarled. 'Dissidents like you won't last in the light, not so long as the Day Dwellers and the White Cats reign under the sun.'

"'Fine!' Hellebore spat, turning to the gathered crowd. 'Any of you sick of this life, come with me and Echeveria to find a new home, one where we'll all be equal!'

"In the crowd, some cheered and some muttered, the groups splitting into four as the arguing cats descended from the oak - the Day Dwellers went to the woods after Shasta and Lycoris, some Twixt Travelers left, many Shadow Cats went to the pines, and the last stayed to listen to Hellebore and Echeveria, a mix of Twixt Travelers and Shadow Cats.

"'We can't stay in the forest,' Hellebore announced, 'so we move out now. When we reach the rise, we can stop and make a plan.'

"Echeveria, standing tall beside him, ordered the cats to watch out for kits and keep track of each other, and to move fast."

Shrikekit cut Dustfoot off. "They just left?"

"Shh," Stormpaw hushed him, putting her tail over his jaw.

Dustfoot nodded. "They did," he confirmed. "At dusk, their group had reached the rise that marked the edge of the forest. Below them, some Twixt stragglers were racing across the territories to join them, followed by more Shadow Cats.

"Echeveria and Hellebore had become the leaders of the group without meaning to and had to decide where to go. While their cats slept, they figured out a route to take them to the ground below, settling on a sprawling lake in the distance with a forest stretching behind it as far as they could see.

"It was a long journey, and perilous. They lost many cats before they reached their new home; it had taken a season and a half, through terrible weather and illness. But when they arrived, their home was perfect. The lake was fed by a river and the forest was full of prey, with a ravine they turned into their camp.

"But, despite the safety the lake provided, some wanted to search further and find what laid beyond the forest. Hellebore and Echeveria never told a cat no, only wishing for them to return safely. Some did, but some did not. Maybe they died, maybe they made new homes. One, a kit of Hellebore's and Echeveria's, traveled and came across the Clans not long after they settled here. Her name was Iris.

"She walked into a Gathering by mistake, wanting only to speak with other cats and have a meal and a place to rest. When the SkyClan leader asked who she was, she purred, 'I'm the last Shadow Cat, I guess.'

"You see, while living in the ravine, fewer and fewer cats had pure black pelts as they had kits with the Twixt Travelers. Iris looked like her father, who was by now so old his black fur was going gray. Before she had left, he had told her she looked like the Shadow Cats of old, the fearsome spectres of the night visible only by their eyes.

"ShadowClan's leader invited Iris into their camp, where she shared her story with the kits and elders. She joined patrols and hunted for the cats that let her stay with them, saying every day that she would be on her way soon.

"Eventually, leaf-bare began and she stayed to help out. Then newleaf came and one of the kits begged for her as a mentor. Iris got close with a ShadowClan tom, and they had kits of their own."

"So she stayed in ShadowClan?" Shrikekit asked.

Dustfoot shook his head. "At the end of the next newleaf, when her apprentice was a warrior and her kits were grown, she bid the Clan farewell and asked only that they remember her story.

"'I have to return home,' she explained. 'My mother and father are old and I want to see them before they pass.'

"'How do you know they haven't already passed?' her former apprentice asked bitterly, not wanting his mentor to leave.

"'I can feel it in my heart,' she said simply. She begged them, 'Please don't grieve for me, I never meant to stay this long or become so close. I only meant to reach the mountain and then return home.'

"'Will you come back?' her youngest kit asked.

"'Maybe one day,' she replied, touching her nose to each of her kits' and finally her mate's. 'If not, then I will meet you in the stars, my friends.' She pressed her nose against her kits' one last time and left camp, a shadow vanishing into the night."

"Did she ever come back?" Stormpaw asked.

Dustfoot shook his head. "Her farewell was the last any cat saw of her," he mewed. "Her kits - three kits, Sootheart, Ravenwhisker, and Darkthroat - they made sure her story was passed down from their kits to the next generation of ShadowClan, all the way to you two."

"Does she have any kin left in the Clan?" Shrikekit asked.

Dustfoot nodded. "Shadefrost is her last descendant. Unfortunately, it looks like her line will die with Shadefrost, though her story definitely won't."

Stormpaw blinked. "Really? Shadefrost is descended from the Shadow Cats?"

Dustfoot nodded, pausing to think. "She's got a bit of Thunder in her too, if I'm remembering right. Ah, blood doesn't matter all that much, though. Shadefrost is ShadowClan through and through, no matter where her ancestors came from."

"But that means Shadefrost is the last Shadow Cat!" Shrikekit mewed, bouncing on his toes. "She's even got the eyes and fur!"

Dustfoot chuckled as Stormpaw backed out of the den, the apprentice finding her mentor sunning on one of the stone slabs.

"Ready to train?" Shadefrost asked without opening her eyes.

"Dustfoot told Shrikekit and me about the Shadow Cats," Stormpaw replied, laying down in front of her mentor. "Is it true that Iris is your ancestor?"

"One of many," Shadefrost sighed, rolling onto her side. "Did he mention the bit of ThunderClan I have, too?" Stormpaw nodded and she went on. "Another ancestor was a descendant of Firestar, Hollytuft. She had kits with a ShadowClan tom and gave him one of them, who had kits, who had kits, who had kits, and so on until Darkpelt and Sootface had me and my littermates. Ancestors made you possible, but they do not define you, Stormpaw."

"I never said they did," she mewed. "Did your littermates have kits?"

"Crowheart died too young," Shadefrost replied. "Flystorm tried, but none of them survived and she was killed during a RiverClan skirmish. It looks like I'll be the last of Iris' descendants in ShadowClan."

Stormpaw blinked, tipping her head to the side. "In ShadowClan?"

"There's always the possibility she made it to the ravine and built a life there," Shadefrost said, opening one eye to peer at her apprentice. "Don't get your hopes up for me to have kits, I'm too old and there are no toms I'd be willing to have kits with."

"I wasn't going to suggest that."

"Good." Shadefrost stood, shaking pollen off her pelt. "Let's hunt."

As they got close to the cherry grove, Shadefrost paused by a stream to take a drink. Breaking the silence, Stormpaw mewed, "So not even Russettail?"

The rest of the Clan agreed later that Stormpaw's fall into the stream was deserved and expected. They were just surprised it took so long to occur.

* * *

 **Worldbuilding, hooray! There aren't too many lore changes but I wanted to give a hint to Shadefrost's backstory. She's one of my favorite characters I've ever made.**


	16. Chapter 16

A half-moon before the Gathering, the mentors for the older apprentices gathered them together and told them they'd have their assessment the next day.

"You'll have your fighting assessment in the morning," Shadefrost informed them, "and your hunting after. Your fighting assessments should be finished by sun-high, so you'll likely hunt until dusk and return to camp. If you pass, Palestar will hold your ceremony tomorrow night."

"Why were they bumped up?" Owlpaw asked.

"Palestar wants you to attend your next Gathering as warriors," Bluefoot explained. "Preferably before this coming one. The other Clans all have new warriors and we need to look strong, especially as the colder moons are coming soon."

Perhaps it was due to the long leaf-bare, but greenleaf turned to leaf-fall sooner than anyone was expected. Prey was beginning to retreat to burrows and nests and the herbs the medicine cats relied on were starting to wither and droop.

"Rest well tonight," Shadefrost advised. "Tomorrow decides whether you'll receive your name together or alone."

Before the sun had begun to rise, the five apprentices were awake and waiting in the center of camp. Owlpaw and Thistlepaw were pacing the length of camp, their tails waving over their backs as they kept their eyes on their paws. Redpaw was watching the sky, scanning for clouds or inclement weather, while Sootpaw was dozing beside him. Stormpaw was sitting under the dogwood, her tail wrapped around her paws and her posture tall and straight.

" _Working yourself into a frenzy will only cause you to make mistakes,"_ Shadefrost had told her when they had their first battle training session. " _You need to keep a clear, level head. It's not just your life on the line in a battle, but your Clanmates', too."_

As the sun rose to illuminate the treeline, the mentors left the warriors den with Frostfang, Foxstep, Sagefang, Snowtail, and Rosefur trailing after them, the chosen cats for the fighting assessments.

In the training clearing, Stormpaw could see the river through the trees if she squinted, the rushing water shining in the morning sun. Leafspring had followed the group, pairing up the cats and setting the order for fights - Redpaw and Foxstep, Owlpaw and Sagefang, Sootpaw and Rosefur, Thistlepaw and Frostfang, Stormpaw and Snowtail. Since she was going last, Stormpaw settled into the moss beside Shadefrost, watching her siblings fight.

Redpaw and Foxstep were an even match, the two toms kicking up dust as the lunged and swiped and bowled each other over. After a long time of matched blows, Redpaw managed to dart behind Foxstep and grab his tail, knocking his hind paws out from under him and pinning him by planting his forepaws on his haunches, then his shoulders.

Owlpaw won her fight fast, mixing Hawkfeather's straightforward attacks with Shadefrost's weaving, low to the ground tactics. It only took her a few moments to dart under Sagefang and wind around her legs with her tail waving, confusing the other she-cat and giving herself a clear chance to rear up and bowl her over.

Sootpaw and Rosefur took the longest, running around the clearing and making everyone back away as they fought. Sootpaw was stronger, but Rosefur was faster - he won once he managed to trip her with a hind paw, sending her sprawling into the dust.

Thistlepaw was aggressive, lunging to make the first attack. Frostfang scrambled to keep up, but Thistlepaw was unrelenting, battering his Clanmate with sheathed claws and headbutts until Frostfang tripped over his own paws while backing up, falling into the dust. As soon as he fell, Thistlepaw relaxed, helping Frostfang up and purring as they sat with Cloudpelt.

Finally, it was Stormpaw's turn. As she padded into the clearing, she felt her heart leap to her throat, panic overtaking her.

' _What if I don't pass?'_ she suddenly wondered. ' _What if I'm left behind?'_ Her fear spiked as an image of her littermates being named flashed forward, the four of them sitting neatly beside each other while she sat with Firepaw and Shrikekit, forced to wait for her name.

Looking up, she found Shadefrost, her mentor meeting her gaze evenly. She simply blinked and nodded to her.

' _You can do this. You're ready,'_ she understood, taking a deep breath and turning to face Snowtail. The white she-cat flicked her tail, her green eyes friendly but determined.

"I'm not going easy on you," she warned, falling into a fighting stance.

"I'd be insulted if you did," Stormpaw replied softly, spreading her paws apart and flicking her tail once, as though getting a fly off the tip.

"Begin!"

Stormpaw fell into a crouch and lunged, pulling in her tail and flattening her ears as she moved. In a single motion, she slid under Snowtail's leaping form, turning on her hind toes and rearing up to hit her haunches, knocking her out of the air. The warrior recovered quickly, though, twisting around and swiping at Stormpaw with outstretched forepaws. Stormpaw ducked under her attack, her body once again in a low crouch as she charged, slamming herself into Snowtail's belly.

Winded, Snowtail fell, landing on her side. Snarling and whipping her tail, she kicked out one of her hind legs, making Stormpaw stumble. Digging her hind claws into the ground, she charged again, knocking Snowtail to the ground. She pushed her paws against Snowtail's shoulder, pinning her to the ground.

"Stormpaw wins!" Leafspring proclaimed, looking a bit surprised.

"Did I hurt you?" Stormpaw asked Snowtail, backing up a few steps.

"No," Snowtail wheezed, "just a little winded. You fought differently from what I expected - I thought you'd be weaving around like Owlpaw was."

Stormpaw shrugged, leading Snowtail to Shadefrost. "Surprise your opponent," she mewed. "Figure out what they expect and do the opposite."

"You faked me out, though," Snowtail pointed out. "Your crouch was the one for low attacks, not brute force."

Stormpaw blinked. "I just like that crouch the best," she said, looking at Snowtail. "I can make myself smaller with it."

"You're already small," Owlpaw purred, bumping her shoulder into her sister's.

"I'm not!" Stormpaw cried, waving her tail. "I'm half an ear shorter than you, I'm not small!"

Shadefrost peered at her. "Seem small to me," she said flatly. Stormpaw glared at her mentor, who was a full head taller than her.

"You and Russettail are the tallest cats in the Clan," she argued. "You're giants, you don't count."  
Shadefrost shrugged, slowing to a halt beside Leafspring. "Whatever you say, Smallpaw."

Stormpaw wailed, tipping her head back. "Even my own mentor!"

Leafspring forced his whiskers to stop twitching, glancing at the sky for a few moments.

"Your hunting assessments will last from sunhigh to dusk," he told the apprentices. "Hunt alone, and don't talk to any Clanmates who may pass you."

"What about cats from other Clans?" Redpaw asked, tipping his head to the side.

"If you happen to be by the border when a patrol passes, you're allowed to talk to them," Leafspring replied. "Just don't tell them any secrets."

"Can we tell them that we're having our final assessments?" Sootpaw asked.

Leafspring shrugged. "That's up to you. Your Clanmates will be watching you throughout, so stay aware and do your best."

"How much prey are we expected to bring back?" Owlpaw asked, lifting her tail.

"The amount doesn't matter so much as the technique," Bluefoot mewed. "We're making sure that you've learned everything you need to know, not that you're the best at everything."

"When the sun hits that sycamore," Shadefrost mewed, flicking her tail to the tree in question, "you may begin."

The others all stood when she did, leaving the clearing. Shadefrost, the last to leave, turned to the apprentices before slipping into the forest. "May StarClan guide your paws," she said as a bid of good luck. With a flick of her tail, she disappeared into the trees.

' _Just like a Shadow Cat,'_ Stormpaw mused as her mentor left.

She and her littermates were quiet, resting while they could. When the sun touched the sycamore, Sootpaw leapt to his feet.

"I'm going by SkyClan," he mewed. "That way I can hunt and make my way back at the same time."

"I'm going to the groves," Stormpaw decided. "From the dogwood trees to the river there are usually mice and voles, sometimes squirrels."

"Have fun with that," Thistlepaw said, stretching. "I'm going by ThunderClan. Owlpaw, Redpaw?"

"Between the treeline and the twisted sycamore," Owlpaw decided.

"I guess I'll go between the ash and the river, then," Redpaw mewed. "Good luck, guys."

His littermates bid him the same, parting ways. They all hoped that the next time they saw each other, they'd be getting ready for their warrior ceremony

Stormpaw reached the river and leaned over it to take a drink, driving away the thirst she had felt since her spar with Snowtail. As she drank, she thought, making a plan for her hunt.

' _I'll start here on the riverbed,'_ she decided, ' _and find water voles and frogs. Then the cherry grove, there'll be squirrels and mice there, maybe a few birds. I'll check the three-corner, too, and see if there's anything there. From there I'll check near ThunderClan's border. I should be able to start heading back by then…'_

"Hey, Stormpaw!" She looked up, spotting Graystream across the river.

"Do you live on the riverbed?" she called over. "You're always here, it feels like."

Graystream shrugged, diving into the water and emerging beside her. "I don't have an apprentice, so I'm usually on hunting duty. Or fishing duty, to be more accurate." At her raised brow, he continued, "Both actual fish _and_ the cats who fall in."

Stormpaw purred a laugh. "That makes sense," she purred. "It's kind of RiverClan to do that. You could just tell the other Clans to learn how to swim."

"We could, but the river isn't actually the best place to learn how to swim," he replied, flicking his tail good-naturedly. "The current is pretty strong. The pools by the sun rocks, though, _those_ are good places to learn, but the best place is a stream. Soft current, just deep enough that you can almost stand but not quite."

"I think I'll stick to keeping my fur dry," she said, opening her jaws to find prey scent. "Now, not to be rude, but I have to start hunting, if you don't mind."

Graystream pricked his ears. "A task? Given by your mentor?" He gasped. "Or another warrior? Hunt on your own and catch enough to be a patrol all your own?"

Stormpaw flicked him with her tail, laughing. "No, you fish-faced dolt. I'm having my final assessment and I have until dusk to hunt."

"Oh, don't let me keep you, then!" Graystream told her, diving into the river. "Good luck!"

"Thank you!" she called back, lifting her tail to him.

Before she could pad away, he added, "I want to see you at the next Gathering as a warrior! Tell me your name as soon as you can!"

"I will, I promise!"

She turned away from the river, focusing on her territory.

"Time to hunt," she murmured, moving forward, one silent paw in front of the other.

When the sun was halfway between its highest point and the mountain, Stormpaw took a break, grumbling as she counted her catches. Because it was getting colder, the prey was starting to make itself scarce. Stormpaw, for all she had worked to be a good hunter, wasn't do as well as she hoped she would. She had only found two water voles by the river after searching from the mountain to the three-corner, where ShadowClan's border met both ThunderClan's and RiverClan's. She hadn't even managed to find a frog, a piece of prey she _knew_ would impress Shadefrost and please Dustfoot. By ThunderClan's border, she had managed to find a shrew and a robin, both scrawny and slow. Easy catches for a good hunter. She hid them under leaves before heading into the cherry grove, intent on finding prey among the cherries and the dogwoods.

Immediately, she noticed one of the trees rustling, its branches bobbing. Climbing up the one next to it, she brightened when she saw what was making the branch bob up and down. A nest of squirrels was chattering, racing around holding the little fruits the cherry trees were dropping. Silent and swift, she caught three of the squirrels, hopping to the ground with a purr rising out of her chest.

When the sun hit the mountain, Stormpaw suddenly had a problem. She couldn't carry all the prey.

As small at the vole and shrew were, coupled with the three squirrels, the robin, and her later catches of a finch, two mice, and a thrush, she couldn't carry them. Sitting on the ground, she examined the pile before trying something out. She swung the three squirrels over her shoulders by their tails and picked up the birds by their wings and the mice, voles, and shrew by their tails. It was uncomfortable, and somewhat awkward, but the squirrels didn't fall off so long as she kept her pace steady. Releasing a joyful purr, she made her way back to camp.

"I knew you'd do it!"

Foxstep's gleeful yowl greeted Stormpaw when she walked into camp, startling her enough for the squirrels to slide off her shoulders to the ground. She purred as he skidded to a halt in front of her, his nose pressed against her cheek as he purred, his tail waving happily.

"You're finally going to be a warrior!" he whispered, licking her cheek.

Dropping her prey, she purred louder, licking his cheek, then his ear. "At last!" she purred, letting him press his pelt to hers and twine their tails.

Shadefrost and Palestar came up to them, glancing at Stormpaw's catches.

"Not bad for leaf-fall," Shadefrost mewed, pawing the scrawnier pieces of prey. "I didn't expect three squirrels, though."

"I found a nest in the cherry grove," she explained. "Did I pass?"

Palestar purred, half-laughing. "Of course. Your ceremony will be tonight, after your littermates get back."

Shadefrost touched her nose to Stormpaw's ear gently. "Clean yourself up and eat something, you've earned it."

Stormpaw pressed her nose to Shadefrost's cheek in thanks, reveling in her soft tone. "Thank you," she breathed, padding away with Foxstep. Her friend met her eyes and grinned, bounding under a stone to wait for the others to return.

Foxstep groomed Stormpaw, letting her doze as they waited for the others to return. First was Owlpaw, carrying mice, voles, a blackbird, and a rabbit. After depositing her prey on the pile, she sat beside Stormpaw and started to groom her fur free of pine needles and moss scraps until it was soft and smooth, the colors practically glowing under the brightening moonlight. Thistlepaw was next, his prey dangling by their tails. Among the furry pieces was a frog, which went straight to Dustfoot. Sagefang went over and groomed his pelt for him, knowing he wouldn't do it himself. Redpaw and Sootpaw returned together, Sootpaw carrying most of the prey while Redpaw dragged a falcon behind him, beaming with pride as he dropped it in front of Palestar and Brightflower.

As the moon rose above the trees, Palestar gathered the Clan with the litter of five sitting underneath the Cliffedge, their pelts and eyes shining. The moonlight made her fur glow silver as she held the ceremony.

"I, Palestar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentice." Her voice was strong and clear, her eyes glimmering with pride. "They have trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in turn.

"Redpaw, Owlpaw, Sootpaw, Thistlepaw, and Stormpaw. Do you promise to uphold and defend the warrior code, and protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"  
"I do," they all chorused.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names." She leapt off the Cliffedge to stand in front of them, starting at Redpaw.

"Redpaw, from this moment you will be known as Redstripe. StarClan honors your kindness and warmth, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan.

"Owlpaw, from this moment you will be known as Owlstrike. StarClan honors your determination and dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan.

"Sootpaw, from this moment you will be known as Sootpath. StarClan honors your patience and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan.

"Thistlepaw, from this moment you will be known as Thistlefang. StarClan honors your loyalty and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan.

"Stormpaw, from this moment you will be known as Stormwhisker. StarClan honors your thoughtfulness and spirit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."

Later, while their Clanmates retreated to their dens, the new warriors sat under the stars, watching over their camp in proud silence. As the sun rose, the dawn patrol released the new warriors from their vigil, sending them to their den. Stormwhisker had to remind them that they were in the warriors den, not the apprentice's, now.

"I'm so used to the apprentice den," Owlstrike mumbled, following her sister. "Oh, it's so much bigger in here!"

Foxstep, closest to the entrance, yawned. "'Course it is," he mumbled. "Here, new warriors sleep closest to the exit. Sagefang and I brought up moss for you yesterday."

Stormwhisker purred, clawing her share of moss into a nest beside Foxstep and laying beside him. He rolled onto his side and pressed his back against her side.

"We're on a hunting patrol later," he mumbled. "Rest up."

Though the forest was near bursting with optimistic hope for prosperity, trouble was brewing in the dark.

* * *

 **They're finally warriors! Also, enjoy the shitty cliffhanger! Updated alliances below. Take note that barring WindClan, the other Clans have more warriors than listed, I just couldn't be bothered to design cats and use more names. RiverClan is actually the largest Clan, being able to support themselves through winter without losing too many because of all their fish.**

 _Alliances:_

 **ShadowClan:**

Leader: Palestar - pale tabby she-cat

Deputy: Leafspring - light brown tabby tom

Medicine Cat: Ivyleaf - fluffy white she-cat

Apprentice, Wolftail - dark gray tom

Warriors:

Shadefrost - elegant black she-cat

Russettail - white-pointed ginger tabby tom

Brightflower - ginger and white she-cat

Flamefur - bright ginger tabby she-cat

Apprentice, Firepaw

Bluefoot - blue-gray she-cat

Grayfur - blue-gray tom

Swiftstep - black and white she-cat

Kitetail - black and white tom

Duskstorm - dusty ginger she-cat

Badgerpelt - long-furred black and white tom

Apprentice, Blackpaw

Cloudpelt - gray and white tom

Brindlestorm - dilute calico she-cat

Rosefur - pale ginger she-cat

Hawkfeather - golden brown tabby tom

Eaglefeather - golden brown tabby tom

Snowtail - white she-cat

Frostfang - white tom

Apprentice, Whitepaw

Sagefang - pale gray she-cat

Foxstep - ginger tabby tom

Redstripe - white pointed, dark ginger tom with darker tabby stripes

Owlstrike - pretty, long-furred brown, cream, and ginger tortoiseshell with white points

Sootpath - dark gray tom

Thistlefang - white pointed dark gray tom

Stormwhisker - small, long-furred blue-gray she-cat

Apprentices:

Firepaw - bright ginger tabby she-cat

Blackpaw - black tom

Whitepaw - white she-cat

Queens:

Poppystripe - cinnamon tabby she-cat, former kittypet (Emberkit - cinnamon tabby tom, Maplekit - cinnamon smoke tom, Amberkit - golden brown tabby she-kit, and Applekit - cinnamon and white tabby tortoiseshell)

Icefoot - white she-cat (Sunkit - golden tabby she-kit with a white underbelly, Honeykit - golden tabby and white she-kit, and Shrikekit - gray tom with a white underbelly and darker fur over his eyes)

Dawncloud - pale ginger she-cat

Elders:

Dustfoot - ancient pale brown tom

Cloverfur - golden brown tabby she-cat, has a permanently injured hind leg

 **ThunderClan:**

Leader: Bramblestar - brown tabby tom

Deputy: Willowwhisker - gray she-cat

Medicine Cat: Lionheart - pale ginger she-cat

Apprentice, Fawnpaw

Warriors:

Twiteflower - brown tabby tom

Gooseclaw - large gray tom

Pipitfur - brown she-cat

Ploverwhisker - grey and white tom

Cypresstail - light brown tom

Larchclaw - brown tom

Poppyfang - dark ginger she-cat

Beechtail - light brown tom

Dovepelt - light gray she-cat

Apprentice, Sandpaw

Falconheart - golden brown tabby tom

Yarrowfur - ginger and white tom

Morningcloud - ginger and white tom

Apprentice, Rosepaw

Moss-storm - gray and white she-cat

Nightheart - black tom

Honeyclaw - golden brown she-cat

Elderstorm - light brown tabby tom

Sandfoot - light brown she-cat

Apprentices:

Fawnpaw - brown tabby she-cat

Rosepaw - ginger she-cat

Queens:

Sparrowclaw - brown tabby she-cat (Doekit - brown tabby and white she-kit, Stagkit - brown tabby tom, and Wrenkit - brown and ginger tabby and white she-kit)

Elders:

Mudfang - brown tabby tom

 **SkyClan:**

Leader: Cherrystar - long-furred calico she-cat

Deputy: Maplestripe - ginger and brown she-cat

Medicine Cat: Ducktail - ginger and brown tabby she-cat

Warrior:

Plumwhisker - ginger tom

Leopardstep - ginger and white she-cat

Mousefoot - small brown tom

Brownflower - brown tabby she-cat

Voletail - brown tabby tom

Newtfang - black she-cat

Tawnyfang - ginger she-cat

Wrenfoot - brown tom

Appleheart - golden tabby she-cat

Robinpelt - brown tom

Squirreltail - ginger and brown tabby she-cat

Apprentices:

Pebblepaw - light gray tom

Thrushpaw - light gray tom

Queens:

Lilyflower - white she-cat; Oakkit, Dustkit, Sandkit

 **WindClan:**

Leader: Harestar - brown tabby she-cat

Deputy: Dustheart - brown tabby tom

Medicine Cat: Fennelleaf - brown tabby tom

Warriors:

Gorsefoot - golden tabby tom

Sandclaw - pale ginger tom

Briarclaw - light brown tabby she-cat

Mousestorm - brown and white she-cat

Limpetfang - brown tabby tom

Stoatfoot - a light brown tabby tom

Minkheart - a dark brown tabby she-cat

Kestrelheart - brown flecked white tom

Fleckfoot - brown flecked white tom

Apprentices:

Quailpaw - light brown tabby tom

Oatpaw - light brown tabby tom

Sedgepaw - brown she-cat

Queens:

Ryetail - brown she-cat (Copperkit - ginger and brown she-kit; Smokekit - gray she-cat)

Elders:

Shrikestep - black and white tom

 **RiverClan:**

Leader: Reedstar - black tom

Deputy: Lakeheart - silver tabby she-cat

Medicine Cat: Ashpelt - gray she-cat

Apprentice, Emberpaw

Warriors:

Ottertail - dark brown and white tom

Cranepelt - gray and white she-cat

Comfreyface - grey tom

Heronwhisker - grey she-cat

Graystream - gray and black tabby tom

Cinderclaw - dark gray she-cat

Stonefoot - dark gray tom

Mistheart - light gray she-cat

Piketail - dark brown tabby tom

Streampelt - light gray and black she-cat

Rushfang - black she-cat

Apprentices:

Emberpaw - black tom

Elders:

Mountainpelt - gray tom


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm so sorry this took so long! I had finished the chapter over a month ago but life got in the way of uploading. With work and the last stretch of senior year, I couldn't get to my computer very often. But now I'm a high school graduate and have more free time, so the writing can resume! Tell me what you think!**

* * *

The Gathering came and went, every leader announcing new warriors, kits, and apprentices to their counterparts, each Clan seeming to be ready for leaf-bare. A few days after, however, trouble fell upon the forest.

"Wolftail! Wolftail, help!"

A yowl startled Stormwhisker and Foxstep awake, the two scrambling when they saw Whitepaw pelting into camp wailing for the medicine cat.

"Calm down!" Wolftail shouted when she ran into him. "What's wrong, Whitepaw? What do you need!"

Whitepaw lashed her tail and wailed, "We were patrolling near the Thunderpath and these rogues came out of nowhere! Ivyleaf told me to run back here as fast as I could, she can't help Frostfang and Brindlestorm and Kitetail all on her own, and the rogues may still be around! Hurry, please!"

Wolftail dashed into his den, yowling, "I need warriors with me, now! Whitepaw, stay here!"

Stormwhisker joined his patrol with Owlstrike, Snowtail, Foxstep, Rosefur, Brightflower, and Eaglefeather, pelting across the territory. They heard the patrol before they saw them, the yowls and screeches carrying across the field.

"SkyClan's here, too!" Eaglefeather hissed, pointing out Tawnyfang, Leopardstep, Voletail, and Mousefoot.

"Stormwhisker, Rosefur, help the injured cats get away," Wolftail ordered. "The rest of you, help the SkyClan patrol."

They did as he said, Rosefur grabbing Brindlestorm by the scruff and dragging her away from the fight. Stormwhisker bounded to Frostfang, kicking the rogue that was attacking him and letting the tom lean on her shoulder.

"Is Whitepaw alright?" he wheezed, limping to Rosefur.

"She's fine," she told him. "What happened here?"

"They came out of nowhere," Brindlestorm coughed weakly. "We didn't stand a chance, there were so many of them."

"The tunnel," Frostfang corrected, "they came through the tunnel."

Rosefur flicked her tail. "Find Ivyleaf and Kitetail," she ordered Stormwhisker. "Wolftail and I can manage here."

She nodded and turned back to the fight, scanning the cats. Her heart plummeted to her paws as she spotted a limp, prone form on the edge of the fight - a long-furred white cat, their pelt stained red. She whimpered when she got closer, nosing Ivyleaf helplessly. Her belly had been slashed mercilessly, her blood pooling around her.

"May StarClan light your path and guide your paws," she breathed, pressing her nose to her aunt's and straightening. A little ways away, Kitetail was in the same state, motionless and small. Swallowing down a cry, she unsheathed her claws and leapt into the fray, knocking a warrior away from Tawnyfang.

"Help me," she pleaded, flicking her tail to Kitetail. "Please." Tawnyfang blinked, taking in the warrior before shaking her fur and grabbing his scruff. Stormwhisker picked up Ivyleaf's scruff, her body dragging in the grass as the warrior carried her to Wolftail.

"No!" Rosefur gasped when they laid the bodies down.

"Those mongrels," Wolftail snarled, his pelt bristling. "They'll pay for this."

A yowl from the rogues caught their attention, drawing everyone's gaze to a giant, long-furred ginger tabby.

"This isn't the end, Clanners!" he yowled, the other rogues streaming into the tunnel behind him. "We won't stop until the valley is ours!"  
The warriors snarled as he turned and left, barely limping from his wounds while they hobbled to Wolftail, defeat in their eyes.

"We'll help you carry them back," Voletail offered.

"Thank you, but we can manage," Wolftail replied, watching Brightflower pick up Ivyleaf and Eaglefeather pick up Kitetail. "Can you deliver a message to Ducktail, calling for a meeting at the Moonpool between the medicine cats tomorrow night? We can talk to RiverClan and ThunderClan."

Tawnyfang dipped her head. "We'll tell Fennelleaf, too," she told him. "Good luck." She touched her tail tip to Stormwhisker's shoulder and led her patrol back to SkyClan territory. Wolftail, his head hanging low, led the ShadowClan cats back to their camp.

They were greeted by sorrowful looks from their Clanmates as Eaglefeather and Brightflower laid Kitetail and Ivyleaf in the center of the clearing. Russettail padded forward slowly, pressing his nose into his sister's flank. Palestar, resting her tail on Russettail's flank, looked to Wolftail.

"Rogues attacked them near the Thunderpath," he mewed hoarsely. "A SkyClan patrol had reached them before us, but it was too late for Ivyleaf and Kitetail."

"We'll retaliate in kind," Palestar snarled as she curled her tail.

Brindlestorm and Frostfang limped over to the medicine den, leaning on Foxstep and Rosefur. Wolftail followed them, treating their wounds as Cloverfur shepherded the kits to the nursery and Dustfoot groomed Ivyleaf's pelt. Swiftstep, Kitetail's littermate, was sharing tongues with him one final time.

As the sun set, the Clan settled in for their vigil. Stormwhisker sat beside Foxstep a little ways away from Ivyleaf. She wasn't as close with the rest of her family as she was with her littermates, Shadefrost, and Foxstep, so her relationship with Ivyleaf didn't extend very far beyond visits to the medicine den. As her older siblings comforted Wolftail, she twined her tail with Foxstep's and decided to be closer with her remaining family.

A soft tail brushed her foreleg, bringing her attention to Maplekit. Almost four moons old, he had kept his heart set on being a medicine cat and become close to both Ivyleaf and Wolftail.

"Oh, little kit," she soothed, pulling him close with a paw and nosing his head. "You can tell her goodbye, you know."

"I already did," he sniffled, curling his tail up. "Stormwhisker, why'd the rogues hurt her? She wasn't a warrior, she was a medicine cat!"

"Rogues don't care about Clan roles," Stormwhisker explained gently, licking him between the ears. "They only saw her as a Clan cat, nothing more."

Maplekit sniffed. "I hate rogues." He cuddled into her legs, nuzzling her long fur.

"I know, little one," she murmured. "I know." She wrapped her tail around her forepaws, blocking him from view to let him sniffle into her pelt.

As the sun set, he peaked over her tail at Ivyleaf, gasping when the sun fully sank behind the mountain. Stormwhisker blinked and followed his gaze, her jaw dropping. The two fallen cats were standing over their bodies, looking at their Clanmates one final time before bounding up and into the sky, disappearing among the stars as their white pelts shone brighter, becoming stars themselves.

* * *

 _She was in a sprawling meadow, the sun beating down on her thick fur. In the distance, a forest could just barely be made out._

'Where am I?' _she wondered, padding toward the trees. It was hot enough that she was panting, feeling sweat beginning to bead under her fur._

" _Follow the water," a voice said behind her. "Drown the sun."_

 _She turned, but no one was behind her._

" _Follow the water. Drown the sun," the voice repeated. Softer, whispering in her ear, it continued, "The Great Boulder is where it begins. Tomorrow night."_

 _She whipped her head around, looking around wildly as the scenery faded. Before she woke, the voice repeated itself one final time._

" _Follow the water. Drown the sun. Save the forest."_

Wolftail had gone to the Moonstone in the morning to meet with the other medicine cats, Leafspring accompanying him in case of trouble. Palestar had bulked up the patrols, not wanting any cat to be caught off guard by the rogues. Everyone was on edge, caught between mourning their Clanmates and retaliating against the rogues.

Stormwhisker, after hunting for most of the day, managed to slip out of camp at dusk through the dirtplace. She had gotten halfway to the river when she ran into Owlstrike, her sister carrying a pair of squirrels by their tails.

"What are you doing out here on your own?" her sister asked, her white tipped tail waving suspiciously.

Stormwhisker hesitated for a moment before sighing. "I had a dream last night," she murmured.

"A nightmare?"

She shook her head. "No, not a nightmare. I think it -" She broke off, meeting Owlstrike's eyes. "I can't explain it, but it was important. I have to do something, I think."

Owlstrike flicked an ear. "You do realize how weird this sounds, right?" she asked.

Stormwhisker nodded, and Owlstrike pressed her nose against Stormwhisker's. "So long as you know," she murmured. "I'll cover for you if you're late getting back."

Stormwhisker purred, brushing her muzzle against Owlstrike's cheek. "I'll be back soon. Stay safe?"

"Of course. You do the same."

They parted ways, Stormwhisker reaching the Gathering island as the moon was rising over WindClan's moor. There were no fresh scents, only the stale remnants of the previous Gathering. Flicking her tail, she sat under the Great Boulder, waiting silently as the moon rose and the stars came out.

Rustling sounded in the bushes, revealing Kestrelheart and Graystream. The toms padded beside each other, looking nervous as they saw the empty clearing.

"Should we wait a while?" Kestrelheart murmured.

Graystream opened his mouth, catching Stormwhisker's scent. "ShadowClan is already here," he mewed, scanning the island. "Or they were."

She brushed her tail against the Great Boulder, realizing that her blue-gray fur blended into the stone as they trotted to her.

"Speak of the spectre and they shall appear," Kestrelheart noted, nodding to her. "Have you seen anyone from SkyClan or ThunderClan?"

She shook her head. "I was the first one here," she replied, wrapping her tail around her paws.

"We're here!" Moss-storm launched through the brush, Tawnyfang following her at a slower pace. "Did you three have the dream, too?"

They nodded, Stormwhisker flicking an ear as the others sat down.

"What do you suppose it means?" Graystream asked. "Follow the water, drown the sun, save the forest?"

"No idea," Tawnyfang growled. "But I think I know what it's about."

"Really?" Kestrelheart's ears perked up. Tawnyfang nodded to Stormwhisker.

"Rogues," Stormwhisker mewed. "One of our patrols was attacked yesterday. They killed Kitetail and Ivyleaf and hurt Frostfang and Brindlestorm pretty bad."

Moss-storm bristled. "They killed a medicine cat?" she snarled.

"It was brutal," Tawnyfang mewed. "But their leader was this giant ginger tom, and he said they wouldn't stop until they took the valley."

"Think that's the 'save the forest' bit?" Graystream asked.

"I don't know," Kestrelheart said, "but I'd bet 'follow the water' is talking about the river. It's the only body of water that's notable around here."

"We can only follow it downstream," Tawnyfang pointed out. "What if we're supposed to go past the mountain?"

"Then we probably would have been told to go beyond the mountain." Kestrelheart flicked his tail. "I'm more confused as to why _we_ were told and not the leaders or the medicine cats."

"The medicine cats are all at the Moonpool, so they'll likely be told there," Stormwhisker pointed out.

"StarClan never makes sense," Graystream said simply. "But if we're to do something without our Clans knowing, we should probably start as soon as possible so no one can stop us."

"You're quite eager to break the rules," Tawnyfang observed, flicking her tail.

"We're already going to get in trouble for colluding with members of enemy Clans," he pointed out. "We may as well try and do something to help before we go home."

"I hate admitting that you have a point," Moss-storm grumbled. "We'd best move, then. It's nearly moon-high and we should be out of Clan territory before dawn."

Stormwhisker flicked her tail. "Shouldn't we think about this first?" she asked. "Make some sort of plan?"

"I don't know about you, but it was hard enough to get out of camp without being noticed," Tawnyfang told her. "Cherrystar is nervous about the rogues and doesn't want anyone to be caught alone."

"Palestar put the same rules in place," Stormwhisker mewed. "Shouldn't we listen to them, especially since two leaders don't want their Clanmates alone?"

"We're the size of a patrol," Moss-storm pointed out. "We'll be able to defend each other if we come across rogues."

Stormwhisker flicked her tail nervously, not wanting to admit that they were right.

"I can get us past WindClan territory," Kestrelheart offered. "But we need to move now. Ready?"

The others nodded. Stormwhisker was the last to stand, looking back at the Great Boulder before diving into the brush, following the elder warriors down the river. Graystream padded beside her, brushing his tail against her shoulders.

"We'll be alright," he murmured. "We have StarClan with us, remember?"

She bumped her shoulder into his, blinking at him gratefully. Yes, so long as she had the stars, she would be okay.


	18. Chapter 18

At the half-moon gathering, the medicine cats were all wary, doddling on their paws and reluctant to be the first to speak.

"I give," Ducktail sighed, flicking her tail. "Tawnyfang disappeared the day after the rogues attacked. We didn't find blood or any signs of a fight, so she must have gone somewhere willingly."

"Kestrelheart disappeared, too," Fennelleaf mewed, twitching one of his ears. "Stoatstripe followed his trail to the island."

Wolftail lashed his tail once. "I'm guessing we all had one warrior disappear to the island." Ashpelt and Lionheart nodded and he continued, "Stormwhisker left. Owlstrike ran into her, but she didn't say where she was going."

"Isn't Stormwhisker your sister?" Fawnpaw asked. Wolftail nodded, scraping his claws across the ground. She continued, "Moss-storm left, and Morningcloud doesn't know where she went, so she's probably with them."

Emberpaw looked at the Moonstone. "Graystream," he said simply. "We found his scent at WindClan's border and the island, and the island smelled like he was there with a few other cats before they left."

Ashpelt flicked her tail. "Maybe StarClan will tell us why they left."

"I hope so," Wolftail sighed, looking forlorn. Swishing his tail against the stone, he laid down, pressing his nose to the cold glowing stone.

" _Follow the water. Drown the sun. Save the forest."_

 _A disembodied voice greeted Wolftail as he rose from the ground, waking in StarClan's forest._

" _Hello? Who's there?" he called, looking around in agitation. Kneading his claws into the soil, he turned in circled, his tail whisking behind him._

" _Follow the water. Drown the sun. Save the forest."_

 _Growling lowly, he padded to what he hoped was the edge of the forest, seeing sunlight dotting through the trees. Cresting the treeline, a sprawling meadow opened before him. There, with her back to him, was Ivyleaf._

" _Aunt Ivy!" he called, bounding to her. She turned, purring when she saw him._

" _Wolftail, you made it," she purred, bumping her muzzle against his. "I don't quite have the knack of calling you to me perfectly down yet. How is the Clan?"_

" _Everyone misses you," Wolftail replied, sitting beside her. "Especially Maplekit, the poor tom. And Stormwhisker disappeared, which has him all out of sorts."_

 _Ivyleaf_ tsked _, shaking her head. "Stormwhisker is safe, I promise you that. She has a mission, one that'll protect all the Clans."_

" _One she couldn't tell anyone about?" Wolftail asked, flicking his tail. "Foxstep searched the entire territory and almost started a fight with RiverClan looking for her, and Owlstrike won't say anything!"_

" _It wasn't her place to tell you, only her place to go. If she had told you, would Palestar or Leafspring let her leave?" the older cat pointed out._

" _Can_ you _tell me anything?" Wolftail asked, annoyed._

" _You heard the message she was given when you arrived," Ivyleaf sighed._

" _Follow the water, drown the sun?" Wolftail asked. "How will that save the forest?"_

" _You'll see eventually," Ivyleaf promised. "But for now, all I can tell you is that she's safe. We're still watching over her and the others."_

 _Wolftail lashed his tail, letting loose a dissatisfied yowl. Ivyleaf laughed, touching her nose to his cheek._

" _She'll come home," she whispered. "There is more to come. Just have faith."_

 _He flicked his tail, leaning into her touch as the dream faded._

Coming to on the cavern floor, Wolftail saw that the others were already awake. Fawnpaw and Emberpaw were murmuring quietly near the entrance, their heads ducked together as the full medicine cats sat close together, their tails flicking anxiously.

"Our warriors are safe," Fennelleaf stated flatly. "But StarClan can't tell us about their mission."

"Ivyleaf told me the same," Wolftail sighed. "All we can do is wait."

"At least we know they're safe," Lionheart pointed out. "The knowledge that StarClan is watching over them is better than nothing."

Ashpelt flicked an ear, glancing at the apprentices. "We should keep this to the leaders and deputies," she muttered. "With leaf-bare coming, we can't afford to send out search parties or worry ourselves sick."

Ducktail, uncharacteristically quiet, hummed delicately. "I've a notion," she murmured. "But I don't know what will come of it."

"Then keep it quiet," Lionheart advised, rising to her paws. "Thoughts and hunches catch no mice and find no herbs." Flicking her tail, she led them out of the cavern, the seven cats bidding each other farewell as they parted ways.

Wolftail, as he padded alone through ShadowClan's forest, glanced at the sky above him.

"Keep her safe," he murmured, his eyes on the two stars beside the moon. "We can't lose her, too."

* * *

 **An insultingly short chapter after months-long wait, I know, but life happens and shit. I'm _planning_ on writing more frequently, but I can't promise anything. But comments encourage writing, so please tell me your thoughts! Thanks for reading!  
**


	19. Chapter 19

Stormwhisker sighed, her tail swishing behind her. They had followed the river for three days, finding that veered south beyond the valley and into the farmlands that lay past WindClan's territory, and Tawnyfang was convinced they were in the wrong place.

"StarClan can't have possibly meant for us to go here, the rogues are back near the city!" the SkyClan warrior was saying, pacing back and forth.

"We don't know that they were talking about the rogues," Kestrelheart pointed out. "They just told us to follow the water and drown the sun."

"The sun-drown-place from the elders' stories is on the other side of the mountains," Moss-storm mewed. "Maybe StarClan meant for us to follow the water the other direction."

Graystream glanced at Stormwhisker, who flicked an ear before shaking her head.

"They wouldn't have told us to follow the water if we were going in the opposite direction the current led," she pointed out. "Our best bet is to follow the river to its end and go from there."

"The river's end could be leagues away," Tawnyfang argued.

"And what StarClan wants us to find lies somewhere along it," Graystream cut in. "All we know is that we have to follow the water. The rest will come into place in time."

Tawnyfang flicked her tail in annoyance, turning her back to them and muttering that she was going to hunt while it was still light. Moss-storm, glancing between the others, trotted after her, leaving Stormwhisker and the toms alone.

"Something tells me that we have more faith in StarClan leading us than Tawnyfang and Moss-storm," Kestrelheart noted dryly, batting at a falling leaf with a paw.

Graystream shrugged, beginning to groom himself. "I know StarClan wouldn't lead us down a path that would hurt us and the Clans. They're as invested in the Clans as we are, being our ancestors."

"I just wish they'd be more clear," Stormwhisker mewed, heaving a sigh and curling up in the roots of an oak. "Cryptic advice isn't going to help us or the Clans." As she closed her eyes, she was dimly aware of Graystream moving closer to her, his tongue lapping slowly at her pelt as she dozed off.

* * *

" _This way! This way!" A small black kit bounced ahead of Stormwhisker, just out of her reach._

" _Slow down!" she cried out, darting forward. The kit tumbled out of view for half a moment, long enough for her to lurch forward and snatch it by the scruff. Grunting, she stepped back, dropping it on the ground in front of her._

" _That_ hurt _," the kit whined, blinking at her. "Why'd you do that?"_

" _You were about to go over the edge!" she scolded the kit, pulling him close with a paw and licking him furiously. "What were you thinking?"_

" _You need to see what's beyond the ledge," he mewed, blinking his amber eyes sleepily as she groomed him. "That's where you need to go."_

 _Tilting her head, she looked over the edge, gasping at what she saw._

 _The mountain and valley were in the distance, the waterfall a mere white speck. The river glowed as it wound through the land, passing through farmlands and Twolegplaces to a barren quarry full of cats - scrawny and large, patched and solid and tabby and tortoiseshell, they were all milling about like a Clan in their camp. Perched upon the highest rock was a large ginger tom, his fur long. He was larger than any cat Stormwhisker had ever seen, almost as large as a fox, and vaguely familiar._

" _Follow the water," the kit mewed. "Drown the sun."_

" _Save the forest," she whispered, the image fading to darkness._

* * *

"Stormwhisker, get up!" a voice snapped her awake. Tawnyfang was in front of her, a squirrel by her paws. "About time, sleepypaws. Share this with me."

Stormwhisker shook herself awake, sitting up. "I had a dream," she mewed, catching the others' attention. "We need to keep following the river. Along the way, there'll be a hollow full of cats - that's where StarClan wants us to go."

"How are you sure?" Moss-storm asked, her tail flicking. "What if it was just a dream?"

"I know my dreams," Stormwhisker insisted, standing up. "This came from StarClan, I know it."

"If so, this settles the debate of what we need to do," Graystream said, grooming twigs from his tail.

"You seem awfully quick to trust her on this," Moss-storm noted dryly.

Graystream shrugged. "She's never done me wrong before, and we're all relying on each other. None of us have anything to gain from putting the others in danger, but everything to lose."

"Never thought I'd hear a RiverClanner trust a ShadowClan cat," Kestrelheart mewed, amused.

Stormwhisker kneaded her paws into the ground anxiously. "I saw the path we have to take," she said, anxiety rising in her voice. "We need to follow the river further, maybe four days journey."

"Easy, Stormwhisker, we believe you," Tawnyfang mewed, resting her tail tip on the younger warrior's shoulder. "But we can't move much farther tonight. The sun's going down and this is unfamiliar territory."

Stormwhisker lashed her tail, her whiskers twitching. "In the morning, we _have_ to start moving."

"In the morning," Kestrelheart agreed, sitting down beside Moss-storm. "For the moment, though, we'll rest."

Stormwhisker grumbled wordlessly, letting Graystream brush against her and settle down. She and Tawnyfang scarfed down the squirrel, grateful that it filled their bellies. As she curled up, Graystream laid his tail across her body, a comfortable weight. Tawnyfang laid on her other side, enveloping her in the scents of fish and squirrels.

' _The sooner this quest is over, the sooner we'll be home,_ ' she told herself, pushing away the urge to think of her nest between Foxstep and Owlstrike in the warriors' den.

* * *

It took them until midday to reach the edge of the forest, the trees giving way to a large moor with a Twolegplace on its other side.

"Open air at last!" Kestrelheart purred, bounding onto the grass. "I don't know how any of you live with the trees trapping you in."

"I don't," Graystream quipped, stretching his legs. "RiverClan territory is covered in small streams, it's mostly marsh."

Stormwhisker stretched her neck, letting the wind ruffle her fur as Kestrelheart peered at the moor.

"We should head for that barn," Kestrelheart said, flicking his tail toward a red speck in the distance. "It'll give us shelter for the night. If we have time, we can ask the cats in the Twolegplace if they know anything about the quarry Stormwhisker saw."

"How can you see that?" Tawnyfang asked, squinting at the barn. "I can't even make it out."

"WindClan secret," he purred, trotting ahead of them. "Rabbit!" He darted forward, disappearing into the tall grass.

"Stay with us!" Moss-storm called, her tail flicking. A moment later, Kestrelheart reappeared, dragging a rabbit as large as an apprentice.

"So you don't want lunch?" he challenged Moss-storm, dropping it at her paws.

"Pest," she mumbled.

"Hunter," he corrected, flicking his tail. "There's plenty for everyone, come on."

They ate quickly, only pausing to laugh at Graystream as he struggled to get the fur out of his teeth.

As they approached the barn, Tawnyfang looked unimpressed.

"It looks like it's been abandoned," she said, pawing at one of the swinging walls.

"That means there'll be plenty of mice," Kestrelheart replied, sliding into the barn after Moss-storm. The ground was covered in straw and smelled of mice and dust and -

"Rrow!" A large tabby tom crashed into Moss-storm, sending the ThunderClan warrior tumbling. Snarling, she swiped at his shoulder, slashing her claws through his pelt.

"Get out!" the tom snarled, his hackles bristling. "You're not welcome here!"  
"Easy, easy!" Graystream said, darting between Moss-storm and the tom. "We're just passing through and thought we'd stop here for the night before heading on our way. We're not looking to cause any trouble."

The tom huffed. "That's what everyone says. Next thing I know, they've been here a week and the mice are harder to find. I'm not dealing with it again!"

"Again?" Stormwhisker asked, padding forward. "Cats have come through here before?"

"All the time," he growled. "Soleil and his crew are always forcing their way in when they're coming to and from the city, bothering me and the neighborhood. You ferals are worse, fighting and bringing ticks and fleas with you!"

"We don't have any ticks or fleas," Graystream cut in, "and we're not looking to fight with you or each other. We're on a journey of sorts and just need a place to sleep for the night, but we can go into the Twolegplace if you don't want us here."

The tom grunted. "You'll fare better in the trees than the neighborhood," he said. "Most of the dogs are stuck in their yards or on leads, but a few run loose, and the local cats don't like anyone to encroach."

"We just need directions, actually," Stormwhisker mewed, flicking her tail. "We're looking for a hollow, one that's home to a large group of cats."

The tom bristled. "Why would you want to find a large group?" he asked, twitching his tail back and forth.

"You know them?" Tawnyfang asked, looking up from where she was inspecting Moss-storm for wounds.

"They're led by Soleil, a giant brute of a cat," the tom replied. "I know of them, and they've never bothered me, but rumor has it they're tired of living in the quarry and want to go into the valley."

"What does Soleil look like?" Stormwhisker asked, thinking back to the large ginger tom in her dream.

"Huge, nearly the size of a fox, with long ginger fur and brown eyes." The tom huffed out a laugh. "Abby knows more, told me he's what her owners call a Northern Forest Cat or something."

"Can you direct us to Abby?" Stormwhisker mewed, tilting her head to the side. "We don't want to intrude, but any information could be helpful."

The tom sighed, shaking out his fur and licking at the spot Moss-storm had clawed. "Yeah, I can show you to her. You seem a good sort for a feral."

Turning, he padded over to an opening on the far wall, sliding through and leading them back outside. A ways away there were Twoleg nests along a Thunderpath. A couple dogs were dozing in one of the patches of grass in front of one, and a Twoleg was walking with another dog further down, the dog somehow attached to her foreleg.

"She's in the brick house," he said, leading them to a red-brown nest. "Those dogs won't bark at ya, they don't mind cats." He flicked his tail to the two in the yard. "The one up there will bark, but he can't get off his leash, so he's no harm."

"Leash?" Kestrelheart asked.

"That tendril that's looped around his Twoleg's arm," the tom explained. "Keeps him from running off."

"Weird," Tawnyfang muttered. The tom led them behind the nest, where a pretty red molly was sunbathing.

"Abby!" he called, jumping up to sit beside her.

"Hey, Lev," she mewed, not opening her eyes. "You brought me travelers?"

"They're curious about Soleil and his crew," Lev explained, wrapping his tail around his paws. "And you know the most."

Abby opened one eye, staring at Lev, who didn't shrink under her gaze.

"Alright," she said, sighing as she sat up. "But you get to entertain the kits."

"No-"

"Kits!"

A litter of small kits burst from the entrance into the Twoleg nest, swarming over Lev as the mewled and giggled.

"That'll keep them occupied," Abby said, a smirk on her whiskers.

"I hate you," Lev told her, trapped under three kits.

She shrugged, turning to Stormwhisker and the others. "Settle in, I can tell you about Soleil, his group, and why he wants to take your valley."

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen done! I'm writing more of this for NaNo, though I didn't set a goal - I'm just trying to write as much as I can each day. More will be revealed in coming chapters, but you'll have to wait for them while I write them. Until then, read and review and let me know what you think!**


	20. Chapter 20

"We need a plan of attack," Tawnyfang muttered as she paced back and forth. Stormwhisker looked up from her grooming to watch the SkyClan warrior.

"We need a bigger patrol if we want to do anything," she responded, flicking her tail. "From what Abby told us, Soleil's group is bigger than ShadowClan, nearly at the same level as RiverClan. The five of us can't combat that alone."

"Which is why we need a _plan_ ," Tawnyfang grumbled, sitting beside Kestrelheart. "We're all we have to draw upon - we can't expect kittypets or barn cats to fight for us."

Lev, sitting on the hayloft, flicked his tail in acknowledgement. He had conceded to let them rest in his barn for the night after Abby had told them what she knew - after the queen had scolded him for being rude.

" _You have better manners, I know you do," she said sharply, flicking her tail tip back and forth._

 _Lev glanced at her from under a couple of kits, batting one off the porch. "It's my barn," he said simply._

" _Lev."_

" _It's my_ barn _."_

"Lev."

 _He grunted, dropping his head on his paws in defeat._

"We need to go to the hollow still," Kestrelheart mewed, "but it sounds like they have semi-regular trips through here to the valley."

"Trips that Soleil takes with his strongest followers," Lev confirmed for them, clearly listening.

"You could sit down here with us, you know," Moss-storm told him, digging her claws into the ground.

"No, I'm good up here." He rolled onto his side, stretching his legs out.

Graystream flicked his tail. "There are two options," he mewed, looking at Stormwhisker. "Go to the hollow on our own and strike when Soleil goes on his next trip -"

"Or go back to the valley and warn the leaders that the rogues aren't going to stop with the death of a medicine cat," Stormwhisker finished, looking at her paws.

"Going to the hollow would be foolish," Kestrelheart mewed. "Chances are, if Soleil brings his strongest with him, he leaves the old and the weak behind."

"And the queens and kits," Graystream added.

Tawnyfang lashed her tail, looking at Moss-storm.

The ThunderClan cat met her eyes and shrugged, flicking an ear. "We can't just leave the Clans to on their own now that we know more," she said.

Tawnyfang slumped where she sat, her tail flopping down behind her. "We'll head back in the morning."

* * *

The next morning, Lev gave them directions to the route that Soleil and his group always used.

"It should cut your trip from five days to two," he told them, his long tail swishing in the grass. "You'll end up on the road that runs between the city and the valley."

"And that'll be faster than following the river?" Moss-storm asked.

Lev nodded, flicking an ear. "The road is mostly straight. Just follow it till you reach home."

Stormwhisker dipped her head to the tom. "Thank you for helping us. We won't forget it."

He waved a paw, turning to head back to the barn. "Don't worry about it. So long as Soleil stops coming to my barn and the neighborhood, you can do what you like. Safe travels!"

He padded into the grass toward his home, leaving the Clan cats to head into the forest, Tawnyfang in the lead. Stormwhisker couldn't help but feel anxious in the heavy woods, the trees and undergrowth covering the forest floor. Beyond that, there were constant sounds of birds screeching and squirrels churring and scrabbling, wind rustling the leaves and knocking branches into each other. In the distance, she could hear the roar of monsters on the Thunderpath, growling as they passed.

"We shouldn't be in here," Graystream breathed, padding beside her. "There's something wrong."

"I know," she murmured. "I can't smell anything but moss and leaf mold."

Kestrelheart kept glancing behind him, his white tail flicking anxiously. "You feel it too?" he whispered, locking eyes with Stormwhisker.

"You're all so superstitious," Moss-storm sighed, trotting ahead. "There's nothing here to be afraid of, we're the only cats to have come through here in at least half a moon."

"How can you tell?" Stormwhisker asked, bounding forward to catch up with her.

"There's no fresh cat scent, and what _is_ here is covered by the leaf mold," Moss-storm informed her. "We'd scent a cat if they were nearby or regularly came through here."

Tawnyfang lifted her tail to halt them, opening her jaws silently. Snapping them shut, she flicked her right ear twice, sweeping her tail out behind her - _stay alert, fan out._

"You were saying?" Stormwhisker whispered, scanning the area. Glancing up, she gasped and ran forward, knocking Tawnyfang over as a dark ginger she-cat leapt down.

"We're just passing through!" Graystream called, trying to relax his posture. "We don't want any trouble."

"You should have thought about that before trespassing," the she-cat hissed, lunging at him. Tawnyfang snarled, ramming into her side to knock her away.

"We haven't taken any prey," she growled. "We're just heading to the Thunderpath."

The she-cat laughed, shaking her head as she got to her paws. "That's what you all say, right before you ravage my forest and force me to move again. Not this time - go back the way you came, this area is spoken for."

Kestrelheart stepped forward, his tail waving, but Stormwhisker jumped in front of him, slapping her tail over his muzzle.

"You've had cats come through here before?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Of course I have!" the cat said. "The giant tom and his band move through here every half moon, scaring off all the prey and trampling the undergrowth."

"Why not leave?" Kestrelheart asked, standing beside Stormwhisker.

She huffed, looking away. "This is my home. I'm not leaving because some arrogant tom thinks he can run the world." Her tail flicked, and Stormwhisker saw her digging her claws into the ground.

"We're from the valley he's trying to take over," Stormwhisker told her. "We're trying to come up with a way to stop him - do you know anything about him? Anything at all?"

The molly glared at her for a few moments, but when Stormwhisker didn't shrink away or wither, she sighed. "He's got a soft spot for kits," she said. "It's why I'm still here, he won't force a nursing queen out of her home-"

"You're nursing kits?!" Graystream squawked.

"It's not that hard to cover milk scent!" she snapped, lashing her tail. "Anyway - he won't hurt kits or queens, or the sick or the elderly, but anyone else - you're either with him or you're against him. He comes through here - every couple of weeks, I guess." She paused for a moment, thinking. "It's when the moon is almost full but not quite."

Stormwhisker nodded, matching up the queen's information with what Abby told them.

" _Soleil comes through when the moon is three-quarters full," the queen said. "He doesn't bother the neighborhood-"_

" _Housecats aren't a threat so long as they stay near home," Lev interrupted, holding a vine tendril for the kits to bat it._

" _But he'll harass Lev into letting them hunt in the barn. Paying his dues or something," Abby continued, as though the tom hadn't spoken. "They usually go around the barn and cross to the far side of the field, near the big road. There are ditches there and tunnels to the other side."_

" _Meets up with some city tunnels further west," Lev interjected again, pushing a couple kits over with his paw._

"Is there anything else?" Stormwhisker asked.

The molly shifted on her paws uncomfortably. "He's got some allies with the alley cats," she mewed. "Promises of a better life, I guess. All I know is that some of them have gotten braver and started scoping out new territory, poking their noses around my woods."

Stormwhisker hid her surprise, dipping her head to the queen. "Thank you," she mewed. "We're sorry to bother you - we'll be on our way now."

The molly flicked an ear. "Is your valley safe?"

"Pardon?" Tawnyfang asked.

"Your valley," she reiterated, "is it relatively safe?"

"It is," Kestrelheart mewed softly. "We live in Clans - we're all from separate ones, but they work the same way. We live as a group in a camp and take care of each other."  
"Sounds nice," she murmured, flicking her tail.

"You and your kits would be safe in the valley," Graystream told her. "Safer than out here on your own, at least. And when we deal with Soleil, you could always move back."

The molly blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Moss-storm and Tawnyfang whipped around to look at Graystream, baring their teeth at him.

"No Clan would turn away a queen and her kits," Stormwhisker told her, stepping forward. "Are your kits nearby?"

She nodded, turning and flicking her tail for them to follow. "I'm Sorrel," she mewed softly.

"Stormwhisker," she replied, quickly introducing the others and swallowing the urge to cry out at her mother's name.

Sorrel led them in the direction Lev had sent them, eventually veering to the north and halting at a hollow log.

"Kits!" she called. "Come out!"

Four kits tumbled out of the log, one after another. Two were the same dark ginger as their mother, while the other two were brown and red tortoiseshells.

"Wasp, Hornet, Tiger, and Leopard," Sorrel mewed, tapping each kit on the head as she named them. "They're two moons old."

Wasp, one of the ginger toms, padded up to Stormwhisker and sniffed her curiously. "You smell weird. Sharp."

"Pines," she told him simply.

"We'll have to carry them," Moss-storm mewed, her tail flicking, "if we want to make good time and get to the edge of the city."

"Tawnyfang and Moss-storm can be on watch while we carry the kits," Graystream suggested. "If we move now, we should reach it by nightfall."

Tawnyfang whispered to Stormwhisker, "This isn't a good idea - we're slower and more vulnerable."

"The code says we have to protect kits, doesn't it?" she whispered back, watching one of the torties - Tiger, she believed.

"The code also says loyalty to your Clan above all else, and endangering them for rogues isn't my idea of loyalty," the SkyClan warrior replied.

Stormwhisker shrugged, meeting her eyes. "StarClan wouldn't have led us here if they wanted us to tread otherwise, Tawnyfang."

"StarClan didn't give us these directions, Stormwhisker," she reminded her. "Lev did, and they'd be more comfortable in the barn with him than traveling with us."

"Too late now," she murmured, watching Sorrel corral her kits to feed them while Moss-storm hunted. "We've offered her a place in the valley, and broken promises win us no allies."

Tawnyfang shifted on her paws, bumping Stormwhisker's shoulder. "You, Kestrelheart, and Graystream offered her a place," she pointed out. "When we reach the valley, it'll be one of your Clans she goes to."

"That's fair enough," Stormwhisker conceded. "But when this is done with, remember what these kits may grow up to be and what you might be depriving your Clan of."

Tawnyfang looked at her, watching her for a moment with an odd gaze. "You're a strange one," she murmured simply before padding back into the forest to hunt. Stormwhisker accepeted the comment, sitting beside Kestrelheart.

"Are we making a mistake?" she asked him and Graystream.

"We won't know until it's over and done with," Graystream replied immediately. "But leaving a queen and her kits at risk isn't what any honorable warrior would do."

There was truth to his statement, but Tawnyfang's words and Sorrel's situation still left a strange feeling in Stormwhisker's heart regardless.

* * *

 **This chapter was harder to write, but I managed it. The next one should be coming soon!**


	21. Chapter 21

They didn't reach the city. By the time they reached the edge of the forest, night had fallen and the kits were asleep, dead weights in the warrior's mouths.

"We'll rest for the night and keep going tomorrow," Moss-storm decided, scanning the area. "That tree over there - it's hollow, Sorrel and the kits can sleep in it while we keep guard."

"Tawnyfang, Moss-storm, and I can hunt," Stormwhisker offered, flicking the tortoiseshell's shoulder with her tail. At Graystream's concerned look, she added, "We'll stay close by."

"Don't go too far," Kestrelheart advised, nudging the kits after Sorrel. The queen looked exhausted, and the kits were stumbling over their paws trying to get into the den.

The ShadowClan warrior nodded, whisking back into the trees and opening her jaws, looking for prey scent.

' _Moss...oaks...vole!'_ Dropping into a crouch, she moved silently as she followed the scent trail, finding the creature snuffling around under a tree. ' _An easy catch.'_

As she pounced, she heard a snarl and felt someone crash into her, knocking her on her side. Snarling, she swiped a paw out, catching tufts of fur in her claws.

"Easy, kitten," a cool voice said, knocking her back. "Claws can hurt."

"I hope they do," Stormwhisker spat, standing up and looking at her attacker - a silver tom with bright amber eyes. He looked amused at the notion, his tail tip twitching back and forth. "Do you have a problem?"

"Not with you," the tom mewed. "Though you did cross into my territory getting that vole."

Stormwhisker flicked her tail and hooked the vole with a claw, tossing it to the tom, her muzzle twitching up to show her teeth.

"Keep it," the tom mewed, tossing it back. "What are you doing here, kitten? Not many cats travel this way since Soleil has started his search. Word is he has his sights set on the valley."

"You know about Soleil?" Stormwhisker asked, her ears pricking up.

"Everyone around here knows about Soleil," the tom said, padding toward her. "Why are you asking?"

Stormwhisker twitched an ear, sitting and wrapping her tail around her paws. "Curiosity," she said simply, noting his relaxed posture. The tom paused, leaning close enough for her to see the orange in his eyes and the white furs on his muzzle.

"You're a Clanner." It wasn't a question. He pulled back, sitting across from her. "What are you planning?"

"Soleil made himself an enemy of the Clans," she responded simply. "I'm gathering information."

The tom twitched an ear, cocking his head to one side and grinning, showing off sharp white teeth. "I think we may be able to help each other, kitten. You and your friends should come with me instead of hanging out in the dead tree."

"How'd you know I have friends with me?" Stormwhisker asked, her ears shooting up.

"I didn't," the tom said, standing and padding toward the area Sorrel and the kits were. "But Clanners rarely travel alone, if at all."

Stormwhisker trotted to catch up with him, noticing with annoyance that he was taller than Shadefrost.

"What's your name?" she asked, snatching up her vole.

"Silver," he mewed, flicking his tail once and launching himself into a tree, landing a couple seconds later with a squirrel in his jaws that he dropped at her feet. "Who are you, kitten? You seem pretty young to leave the Clans."

"Stormwhisker," she replied.

He looked at her, twitching his tail tip. "You're rather small to have your name."

Stormwhisker flicked an ear, brushing past him with the prey clamped in her jaws. "Small or not, I'm as much a warrior as any of my Clan, loner. It'd do you well to keep that in mind," she said around the vole.

"Oh, I don't doubt any by their size," he replied. "You just seem rather young."

Stormwhisker looked away, continuing to where her friends were. "How do you know about the Clans' customs?"

"Pardon?" he asked, tossing his squirrel over his shoulders.

"You knew that I had my full name," she mewed. "Not many cats know the difference between Clan names."

"When you travel long enough, you learn some things," Silver replied. "The same way I knew you weren't alone, that you were in the dead tree."

Stormwhisker looked at him once, taking a moment to observe him. Long fur didn't hide his sturdy, well-muscled body, and he was larger than most Clan cats, completely dwarfing her. The white flecks on his muzzle told her he was older than her and her friends, and she could spot a few scars on his face, neck, and ears.

"If you want a story, kitten, just say so," he mewed, padding slowly beside her. "Here we go."

Stormwhisker broke away from him to approach Graystream and Kestrelheart, flicking her tail at the toms to relax them. As she dropped her vole beside Sorrel, she mewed, "He knows about Soleil and thinks he may be able to help us."

"Or he's working with Soleil and is trying to draw us into a trap," Graystream murmured, shifting to stand in front of Sorrel. The queen leaned around Graystream, her ears pricking up when she saw the loner.

"Silver?" she mewed. "Is that you?"

Silver blinked fondly, lowering his head. "Sorrel, it's good to see you. How are the kits?"

Sorrel nudged Graystream out of her way, padding up to him and bumping her head against his. "They're well. Sleeping, at the moment. What are you doing here?"

He touched his nose to her forehead gently, laughing lightly. "I met your friend here when she was hunting. The den isn't too far, and it's safer - you should come stay with us."

"I didn't know you all were still here," Sorrel mewed. "I thought you'd gone to the city."

"The alley cats are making it harder to settle in the city," Silver told her. "Especially with Soleil around. Have you been alone this whole time?"

"Lev's come by on occasion to see the kits," she replied. "If I'd known you were close, I'd have come to you."

"You know each other?" Kestrelheart asked, nudging a sleepy Wasp back to his siblings.

"Everyone knows everyone around here," Silver replied, padding to the kits and wrapping his tail over them. "It's safer to keep together than to stay alone, but some cats-" he nodded toward Sorrel, "-are more stubborn than others."

"I know what I can handle," Sorrel sniffed, wrapping her tail around her paws. Stormwhisker nudged the vole toward her, watching Moss-storm and Tawnyfang approach them.

"Do I want to know?" Tawnyfang asked tiredly, dropping a pair of birds beside Silver's squirrel.

"I met Silver," she mewed, flicking her tail to the tom, "while hunting. He has more friends nearby, and they know about Soleil."

Moss-storm flicked her tail, looking at the tom closely. "Is that so?"

Stormwhisker sighed, glancing from Sorrel to Graystream. The RiverClan cat sighed, standing and stretching.

"He's offered to let us stay the night with him and his group," Graystream mewed, "which will be safer for the kits."

"It's not very far," Silver said, "and I can carry the kits on my back. We have food and nests, too."

"You had me at information about Soleil," Tawnyfang said dryly, stretching her legs. "Lead the way, we'll keep watch from behind."

Silver nodded, crouching to let Sorrel put her kits on his back. The kits mewled and woke up slightly to nuzzle deeper into his fur, disappearing into the silver hairs. Sorrel purred, trailing right behind Silver as he led the way.

"You seem to have a knack for making friends," Kestrelheart commented to Stormwhisker, walking with her at the rear of the group. She sighed, lowering her head slightly. "What's wrong?" he asked, glancing at her.

"I wish I had a way to be sure we were doing the right thing," she murmured. "Sorrel and her kits will definitely be safer in a group, but the longer we take to warn the Clans and tell them what we know, the more cats Soleil can hurt."

"StarClan will watch over them," Kestrelheart murmured, bumping her shoulder. "They'll make sure they're still there for us to return to. They wouldn't have sent us on this quest if there'd be nothing to return to."

She sighed, flicking her tail against his side. "I hope you're right," she whispered, glancing at the sky through the branches. Despite his words, an uncertain feeling was settling deep in her heart.

* * *

 **This took forever to write and isn't very good, but at least it's written. More to come in the next chapter; tell me what you think!**


	22. Chapter 22

The camp Silver led them to was encircled by bramble bushes and shadowed by branches. He yowled wordlessly as he entered, cats within the camp calling out greetings and a few younger ones running up to him shouting his name.

"Silver! Silver did you find more cats?" one of them asked, circling the tom.

"Are we expected to feed all these mouths?" someone called out grumpily.

"Is that Sorrel?"

"Silver! Where have you been?"

The other cats quieted as a small calico trotted up to Silver, her amber eyes narrowing as she saw the company he brought.

"Found some Clan cats when I was hunting," he mewed, crouching down to let Sorrel's kits tumble off of his back. "They were with Sorrel. I figured they'd be safer here."

"You realize the risk this poses," she growled. "Soleil is already wary of us, bringing Clanners will make us his enemy."

"We're already his enemy, Patch," Silver pointed out bluntly. "Our time of peace won't last much longer, and these cats are looking to strike back against Soleil."

Patch flicked an ear, holding Silver's gaze evenly before sighing and waving her tail toward two dens. "Sorrel can join River and Sleet in the kit-den," she mewed, "and the Clan cats can have the empty den. We can discuss Soleil in the morning."

Silver nodded, dipping his head to her. "Thanks, Patch."

"We'll be out of your fur soon," Graystream mewed kindly. "We're just looking to gather information before we move on tomorrow."  
Patch fixed her steady gaze on him, her face emotionless. "I'll tell you what I can, but I can't promise it'll help you."

"Any knowledge is better than none," Stormwhisker mewed, dipping her head to the she-cat. "Thank you."

Patch simply nodded, flicking her ears at Silver and leading him across camp while the five warriors curled up in the empty den.

"Soleil has more enemies than he may realize," Kestrelheart whispered. "These loners, the neighborhood cats, the Clans - he may have enemies in the city, too."

"Or he may have allies in the city," Moss-storm murmured, grooming her tail.

"We'll find out in the morning," Graystream sighed, laying beside Stormwhisker, who let him press his pelt to hers. "For now, we need sleep."

Tawnyfang flicked her tail in silent agreement, curling into a tight ball as Moss-storm stretched out and Kestrelheart sandwiched Stormwhisker between him and Graystream. As her friends fell asleep, Stormwhisker had a small realization that she didn't mind the close contact despite their differing Clans.

 _She found herself in a meadow, one that was becoming more familiar as she dreamt herself there more._

" _StarClan again," Stormwhisker sighed, stretching her claws and padding toward the treeline. She could see shadows of cats gathering together in the distance, the din of yowls and shouts reaching to her in the meadow._

" _Stormwhisker!" She turned to see Ivyleaf, her aunt flicking her tail as she approached. "How did you get here?"_

 _She shrugged, letting Ivyleaf nose her ear. "I woke up here - well, I went to sleep and dreamed myself here. What's going on?"_

" _Soleil," Ivyleaf said simply, flicking an ear in annoyance. "He's still attacking the Clans, but with the five of you beyond the territories, we can't see you. It's a wonder you got here at all."_

 _Stormwhisker sighed, looking at the crowd of cats. "No one knows, I guess," she mewed, padding alongside her. "He's attacked again?"_

" _He's_ been _attacking," was the response. "SkyClan and ShadowClan are getting the brunt of it, being on the Thunderpath border."_

 _She blinked, her fur bristling at the mention of her Clan. "Has- have we lost anyone else?" she asked as they crested the hill._

 _Ivyleaf looked at her sadly, turning to the crowd. "See for yourself."_

 _Stormwhisker pulled her ears back, creeping forward slowly. The crowd was gathered around a clearing, where cats' spirits slowly solidified and became starry - they were welcoming cats to StarClan. She jolted back, her ears flat as she recognized the fallen warriors - Yarrowfur and Gooseclaw of ThunderClan, Appleheart of SkyClan, and -_

" _No," she murmured, walking further from her aunt._

" _Stormwhisker-"_

" _No!" She ran forward, breaking through to see Grayfur and Blackpaw. Ivyleaf grabbed her tail, yanking her back._

" _I'm sorry," the medicine cat mewed._

" _We already lost you and Kitetail," she murmured, seeing her Clanmates be greeted by their old friends. Sorrelheart was murmuring to Grayfur, and Kitetail was trying to comfort his nephew. "How many more will we lose?"_

" _Not even we know," Ivyleaf admitted, leading her away from the crowd. As they padded through a forest, Ivyleaf paused at a pool of water, flicking her tail. "Take a look," she mewed._

 _Stormwhisker peered into the pool, blinking in shock as ShadowClan's camp materialized before her. She couldn't hear what was being said, but she could see Shadefrost and Palestar talking to Leafspring and Russettail, Thistlefang and Sagefang murmuring to each other with their tails loosely twined, Owlstrike and Redstripe playing with the kits, Sootpath comforting Whitepaw and Firepaw, and Foxstep sitting alone on one of the stone slabs, deep in thought with his brow furrowed and his tail flicking._

" _Foxstep," she murmured, touching her paw to the pool. Quietly, without noticing Feathertail still beside her, she whispered, "Please stay safe. Keep him safe."_

" _You must move quickly," Ivyleaf whispered._

 _As she nodded, the scenery faded around her, Foxstep's image remaining a second longer before everything went dark._

"No!"

Stormwhisker jolted awake, startled by Moss-storm's cry.

"What's wrong, what happened?" she asked, blinking the sleep from her eyes.

"Gooseclaw and Yarrowfur…" the she-cat murmured, her tail sweeping across the ground anxiously. Stormwhisker blinked, her dream settling in as she woke up.

"You dreamed it, too?" she whispered. Moss-storm nodded, looking to Tawnyfang, who was sitting up, her tail flicking back and forth.

"Appleheart," the SkyClan warrior muttered.

"Soleil needs to be stopped," Moss-storm growled, standing up shakily. Stormwhisker nodded, lashing her tail as she got up and left the den.

Silver nodded when he saw her, flicking his tail to indicate the den. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

She shook her head, sitting beside him. "No. We have to move fast."

Silver glanced at the sky and back to her, a funny look in his eyes. "You Clan cats are very odd," he commented. "Dreaming of your homes so vividly."

"It wasn't of home," she mewed. "It was StarClan, our ancestors - they showed us the Clanmates that have fallen since we've been gone."

"How do you know it wasn't just a dream?" Silver asked gently. Stormwhisker whipped her head around, glaring at him.

"I know my dreams," she growled. "You might not understand as a loner, but I know when they're dreams and when they're sent from StarClan. It's a gut feeling, one that I can't mistake."

"If you say so," he replied, looking back up at the sky. "It's a snow-sky today, which'll slow down Soleil."

"It'll slow us, too," she mewed, following his gaze.

"Are your friends still asleep?" Patch padded up, looking at Stormwhisker.

"We're up!" Kestrelheart called out, tumbling out of the den with the others on his tail.

"Good," Patch mewed. "We can talk over here." She flicked her tail for them to follow her, stopping beside a hollow tree.

"What can you tell us about Soleil?" Moss-storm asked, wrapping her tail around her paws.

"He's a rogue," Patch said simply, flicking an ear. "He's gathered a following among other rogues and is looking to find a new home for them."

"Their current home is prey-poor," Silver added, "while the valley is rich. He wants a better life for his group, and will take what he wants by force."

"Where's their current home?" Stormwhisker asked, flicking her tail.

"Beyond the city," Patch mewed. "They live in an old quarry, but all that's there now are queens and kits and the old. Any who can fight go with him on his expeditions. He takes them once a week or so."

"If he follows his usual schedule, he'll leave the city today and go back to the quarry to update the rest of his group," Silver told them. "It'll give the Clans time to regroup."

"Theoretically," Patch interjected. "If he's made the alliance with the alley cats that rumors say he has, then they'll give the Clans grief while he's gone."

"The Clans can handle alley cats," Tawnyfang mewed. "Our trouble is with Soleil."

"What's your problem with him?" Graystream asked, the tip of his tail twitching.

Silver narrowed his eyes, looking at each of them slowly. "Soleil threatens any group that isn't aligned with him," he said gravely. "He scares cats into submission and only shows mercy to those too old to fight, too young, or queens with kits to worry about. Patch didn't merge her group with his, so she's a threat to him. He hasn't noticed me since I travel around, but he wants loners and rogues to join him so he won't have any threat of dissent or uprising."

"If you can drive him off, we'll all be thankful," Patch mewed, ears drooped and eyes tired. "We're barely scraping by as it is and many of my cats can't afford another move."

"I can show you to his quarry," Silver offered, standing up. "If we leave today and cut through the city, we'll be able to beat him there and gather more information."

"I'd offer to go with you, but I'm needed here," Patch added, apology deep in her voice. "I can offer food before you go, but not much else."

"A meal is more than enough," Stormwhisker mewed gratefully, dipping her head.

Patch nodded, letting them pick pieces of prey from their pile while she and Silver continued to talk. Settling beside Moss-storm with a squirrel, Stormwhisker watched the camp wake up, cats slowly starting to go about their business. Sorrel was talking to a pair of queens, her kits tumbling around with their litters.

"Guess she won't be joining the Clans," Kestrelheart mewed, gnawing on a vole.

"Probably for the best," Graystream mumbled around a mouthful of mouse. "She seems the independent sort."

"So she'd fit into RiverClan perfectly," Moss-storm teased. Graystream flicked her ear with his tail, frowning.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, swallowing his food.

"You're the only Clan to give cats lone jobs," Kestrelheart answered.

"For instance," Moss-storm said, "setting cats along the river to fish out anyone who may fall in."

Graystream shrugged. "I don't see the other Clans making moves to learn how to swim."

Stormwhisker, having finished her half of the squirrel, got up to groom herself while the others talked. She had an idea that fishing cats out was only half the reason RiverClan kept cats on the border, but she wouldn't say such to Graystream - it wasn't befitting of a ShadowClan cat to voice their suspicions to those outside the Clan, she had long since been taught.

' _Fur this messy isn't befitting, either,_ ' she mused, remembering how well-kept Shadefrost always insisted her pelt be. ' _Great StarClan, Shadefrost and Foxstep must be going mad with worry.'_

"Stormwhisker," Tawnyfang mewed, pulling her from her thoughts. "Are you ready?"

She blinked, nodding. Silver padded over to them, his tail like a plume behind him.

"We'd best get to the city quickly," he mewed, glancing over them. "I hope you don't mind if I take the lead?"

"You know Twolegplace better than the rest of us would," Moss-storm replied, shaking her fur out as she gestured for the others to get up. "Lead the way."

* * *

 **Hey-o, Silver, away! Please tell me what you think!**


	23. Chapter 23

Hey guys,

As much as I hate to say it, this story isn't going the way it was supposed to and I need to put it through some major rewrites. I'm leaving it up as it is, but don't worry! I'm working on a new story that uses most of the cast, just in a different setting and a more focused plot.

Stormwhisker will be back, though, so don't worry! And if you've got any questions you're dying to have answered, drop em in the reviews or my PMs. Y'all can find me on Tumblr at reminiscentrevelry, too.

Happy reading guys!

-Rev xx


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